The /Routledge Handbook of Character Assassination and Reputation Management/ is due to appear in 2018. It will consist of 28-30 chapters from a wide variety of disciplines, including political science, history, psychology, communication, and legal studies.
This handbook responds to the demand for a creative collection of recent scholarship that transcends disciplinary boundaries. The book consists of the most recent original essays to satisfy the growing interest in this area. It is intended to be both engaging and relevant to scholars, practitioners, and students focusing on issues of character assassination and reputation management in the aforementioned fields.
We define character assassination (CA) as the deliberate destruction of an individual’s reputation or credibility through character attacks. The term may refer to the process as well as the result. Character attacks are by definition intentional and public in nature. They can take place in the context of a political campaign, national or religious propaganda, rivalry between scientists or celebrities, etc. Character assassination can even occur posthumously, for instance in the case of overthrown regimes or political or religious icons (Karl Marx and the Prophet Muhammad are prominent examples). Reputation management entails the building and maintaining of a positive public image, including the defense against character attacks and damage control in case of a bruised reputation.
We invite all contributors to approach character assassination and/or reputation management from their personal expertise. Chapters may discuss a particular phenomenon (e.g. CA in political cartoons), culture, region or period, or focus on relevant case studies. However, it’s important that each author reflects on the relevance of their specific topic for the broader themes of the volume.
*Proposals*
If you are interested in contributing to this volume, please submit a 500-word abstract of your proposed chapter and a 50-word biography to Sergei Samoilenko at ssamoyle@gmu.edu <mailto:ssamoyle@gmu.edu> by *April 1*. Accepted authors will be notified in May and have until *October 16* to write their 7,000-word contribution.
*Questions and inquiries*
The editors are available to answer any questions.
Sergei Samoilenko (George Mason University), Eric Shiraev (George Mason University), Martijn Icks (University of Amsterdam), Jennifer Keohane (George Mason University)