Allison M. Prasch is an associate professor of Rhetoric, Politics and Culture in the Department of Communication Arts. Her research focuses on the intersections of rhetorical theory and history, U.S. presidential rhetoric, foreign policy, and space/place. Her first book, The World is Our Stage: The Global Rhetorical Presidency and the Cold War (University of Chicago Press, 2023), examines how U.S. presidents used their international travels to expand the reach of presidential power and extend the United States’ global influence. Her work has been published in outlets such as the Quarterly Journal of Speech, Rhetoric & Public Affairs and Presidential Studies Quarterly.
A word from Dean Eric M. Wilcots:
Professor Prasch’s research in political rhetoric, especially the history of U.S. presidential public addresses, has had a national impact with the publication of her book, The World is Our Stage. This work demonstrates the ways that a U.S. leader’s public rhetoric (especially during the Cold War) incorporates strategic conceptions of audience and place to serve both global and domestic agendas and interests.