Invective phenomena with the purpose or effect of marginalization and exclusion, of insult and debasement, of discrimination and verbal aggression have long been in the focus of discourse-analytical research. Among the various linguistic disciplines that deal with invective communication, discourse approaches have a particular analytical potential. They shift the focus to discursive conditions and the effects of power relations which make invective practices possible in the first place, and shed light on their contextual and epistemic embeddings.

The interdisciplinary volume is devoted to the forms, formats, and effects of invective communication in both contemporary and historical discourse constellation, from different cultural contexts and in diverse media constellations. The contributions from the fields of linguistics, literature, and sociology thus demonstrate the potentials of discourse-analytical approaches in the study of invectives and invectivity.