The Meanings of Kansas: Rhetoric, Regions, and Counter Regions

Dave Tell University of Kansas

Abstract

This essay uses the Kansas reception of Truman Capote's 1966 In Cold Blood to reflect on processes of regionalism and resistance. Noting that Capote and In Cold Blood were articulated quite differently in different portions of the state of Kansas, I explain how Kansans used a text that was imposed on them to craft for themselves regional identities of their own making. I call these “counter regions,” a term I coin to emphasize that region making is an important, if often overlooked, ingredient in practices of cultural resistance.

Journal
Rhetoric Society Quarterly
Published
2012-05-01
DOI
10.1080/02773945.2012.682843
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Citation Context

Cited by in this index (3)

  1. Rhetoric Review
  2. Rhetoric Society Quarterly
  3. Rhetoric Society Quarterly

References (40)

  1. Hutchinson News
  2. Hutchinson News
  3. Garden City Daily Telegram
  4. Garden City Telegram
  5. Truman Capote's In Cold Blood: A Critical Handbook
Show all 40 →
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