What to Expect and Why

Parrhesia is a particular type of free speech that entails risk for the speaker and which is necessary for democracy and resisting abuses of power. This introduction explains the scope, purpose, goals, tone, and audience for this work, offering initial examples and explanations of parrhesia and embedding parrhesia within the larger Western tradition of rhetoric, democracy, and citizenship. The study of parrhesia is inter-disciplinary and includes Foucault’s seminal lectures on the topic near the end of his life. This book builds upon, synthesizes, and expands previous scholarship to create a comprehensive networked rhetorical theory to explain how parrhesia works to restructure power relations across time and place. The chapter also explains how the reader-friendly design of the book can be utilized for optimal engagement with the upcoming material, emphasizing why understanding what parrhesia is and how it works is imperative for every citizen within a functioning democracy.