Rethinking Post-Communist Rhetoric

This collection examines the different forces and factors that affect professional writing and communication practices in various social, economic, political, and technological contexts in the nations of the former Soviet Union and the former Eastern Bloc.

While the collection will appeal to educators, professional technical communicators can find useful information, especially if they specialize in localization or their organizations regularly deal with post-Soviet countries…. I would recommend this collection for libraries and advanced classes in rhetorical and cross-cultural pedagogy.

This book provides a unique international perspective on academic writing and the pedagogy and practice of business, technical, and professional communication over the past two decades in Eastern European and former Soviet countries. The breadth of its scope, the rich variety of studies and the analyses, and the depth of cultural and rhetorical insights make this collection a remarkable scholarly achievement that will greatly benefit scholars, teachers, and practitioners for years to come.

For anyone wishing to interact with communication teachers, researchers, or workplace practitioners in post-Soviet spaces, the essays in this collection will offer numerous useful and thought-provoking perspectives.

Rethinking Post-Communist Rhetoric should be required reading for technical and professional communication practitioners, scholars, teachers, and students—and for anyone else who wants to gain an understanding of how to communicate effectively with individuals in the former Soviet republics and the countries of Eastern Europe. The book provides a comprehensive understanding not only of rhetorical expectations and writing practices but also of the institutional, workplace, and geopolitical contexts in which communication occurs. This groundbreaking collection is a much-needed and valuable reference that expands our understanding of the practice of professional communication in the nations of the former Soviet Union and the former Eastern Bloc.

Pavel Zemliansky is professor and director of the Writing Across the Curriculum Program in the Department of Writing and Rhetoric at the University of Central Florida.

Kirk St. Amant is professor of technical and professional communication at East Carolina University.