Sick Stuff: A Case Study of Controversy in a Constitutive Attitude

Rhetoric Society Quarterly Mar 2013

Sick Stuff: A Case Study of Controversy in a Constitutive Attitude

Peter Cramer Simon Fraser University

Abstract

Journalists contribute in many routine ways to public controversies, ways that are often overlooked in traditional criticism. They have tended to be overlooked in part because of the agonistic argument dialogue that functions as a tacit, a priori location for controversy, and in part because of the tendency of traditional critics to treat news texts as reflections of controversy rather than contributions to it. This essay examines in detail journalists' entextualization and recontextualization of Mayor Rudolph Giuliani's discourse from a press conference on September 22, 1999 in order to explain one way that they contributed to the Brooklyn Museum controversy. The analysis adopts a constitutive attitude toward controversy, asking how our habits of talking and writing contribute to our impressions of a controversy as an autonomous cultural phenomenon.

Journal: Rhetoric Society Quarterly
Published: 2013-03-01
DOI: 10.1080/02773945.2013.768352
Open Access: Closed
Topics: qualitative research

Citation Context

Cited by in this index (3)

Flower (2016)

Difference-Driven Inquiry: A Working Theory of Local Public Deliberation

Rhetoric Society Quarterly
Dougherty (2015)

Lost in TransNation: The Limits to Constitutive Nationalism in the Fenian Movement

Rhetoric Society Quarterly
Cramer (2015)

Stasis Four for Literate Jurisdictions: Writing for an Art World Referee

Rhetoric Review

Cites in this index (2)

KAUFER et al. (1989)

Novelty in Academic Writing

Written Communication
Geisler et al. (1989)

Making meaning in literate conversations: A teachable sequence for reflective writing

Rhetoric Society Quarterly

Also cites 14 works outside this index ↓

10.1177/0957926510392119

↗
10.1017/CBO9780511610295

↗
10.1080/00335638709383799

↗
Clayman Steven E. (1995)

10.1111/j.1460-2466.1995.tb00746.x

Journal of Communication ↗
Condit-Railsback Celeste. (1984)

10.1080/00335638409383707

Quarterly Journal of Speech ↗
Cramer Peter A. (2011)

Controversy as News Discourse

↗
Howells Richard (2012)

Outrage! Art, Controversy, and Society

↗
Eisenhart Christopher (2008)

Rhetoric in Detail: Discourse Analyses of Rhetorical Talk and Text

↗
10.1215/01642472-19-2_67-127

↗
Jasinski James (2010)

The Handbook of Rhetoric and Public Address.

↗
Leff Michael. (2001)

10.1080/10570310109374704

Western Journal of Communication ↗
(1992)

10.1080/00335639209383991

Quarterly Journal of Speech ↗
10.1080/00335638909383868

↗
10.1080/10570319909374655

↗

CrossRef global citation count: 6 View in citation network →