Editor Introduction: Eight needed developments and eight critical contexts for global inquiry

Abstract

In this introduction, I articulate critical gaps, needed developments, and opportunities for rhetoric and professional communication in global contexts. My tone is intentionally provocative and personal, laying out my positions and concerns based on almost 20 years of experience working in both rhetoric/professional communication and intercultural/global studies. In this introduction, I also demonstrate the power (and beauty) of intercultural and global inquiry to expose unexamined assumptions and problems in current theory, research, and practice in rhetoric and professional communication. The first section introduces eight needed developments for global theory, research, and practice, based on current approaches in rhetoric and professional communication; the second section outlines an -Etic-then-Emic‖ frame for integrating these developments into a global rhetorical theory; the third section explores gaps and opportunities in eight professional global contexts; and the conclusion summarizes the article with a call to develop more research, theory, and practice.