Rhetoric Society Quarterly Mar 2005

Presence as argument in the public sphere

Alan G. Gross University of Minnesota

Abstract

Abstract Chaim Perelman's concept of presence is extended and enriched by applying it to a historical museum exhibit that commemorated a watershed of Austrian history, the Anschluss of 1938. To understand the argumentative effect of presence in this exhibit, new rhetorical categories are deployed: foreground and background, space, and time. These are managed in the interest of an ideological position: to free the Austrian conscience and consciousness from the burden of memory created by the disproportionate participation of Austrians in the Holocaust. Finally, a basic problem with presence is addressed: its apparent incompatibility with any form of rational argumentation.

Journal
Rhetoric Society Quarterly
Published
2005-03-01
DOI
10.1080/02773940509391308
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Open Access
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Topics
modern rhetorical theory rhetorical criticism argument public rhetoric
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Citation Context

Cited by in this index (8)

  1. Cintrón et al. (2019)
    Things of the World: Migration, Presence, and the Arts of Presencing
    Philosophy & Rhetoric
  2. Dockter (2016)
    The Problem of Teaching Presence in Transactional Theories of Distance Education
    Computers and Composition
  3. Kuehl et al. (2015)
    Designing public communication about doulas: analyzing presence and absence in …
    Communication Design Quarterly
  4. Gigante (2015)
    A Portrait of Exclusion: The Archetype of the Scientist at Work in Life Magazine
    Rhetoric Review
  5. Gross (2009)
    Presence as a Consequence of Verbal-Visual Interaction: A Theoretical Approach
    Rhetoric Review
Show all 8 →
  1. Fernheimer (2009)
    Black Jewish Identity Conflict: A Divided Universal Audience and the Impact of …
    Rhetoric Society Quarterly
  2. Atkinson et al. (2008)
    Presence and Global Presence in Genres of Self-Presentation: A Framework for Co…
    Rhetoric Society Quarterly
  3. Aikin (2008)
    Perelmanian Universal Audience and the Epistemic Aspirations of Argument
    Philosophy & Rhetoric

References (17)

  1. Barringer Felicity (2003)
    New York Times
  2. Böhm Karl (1968)
    Ich Errinnere Mich Ganz Genau
  3. Bukey Evan Burr (2000)
    Hitler's Austria: Popular Sentiment in the Nazi Era, 1938–45
  4. Daniel Paul (1988)
    Falter
  5. _____ (1986)
    Rendevous Wien
Show all 17 →
  1. Eizenstat Stuart E. (2003)
    Imperfect Justice: Looted Assets, Slave Labor, and the Unfinished Business of World War II
  2. Gross Alan G. (2003)
    Chaim Perelman
  3. (1996)
    Hermann Czech: Das Architektonische Objecte
  4. Karon Louise (1989)
    The New Rhetoric of Chaim Perelman: Statement and Response
  5. Kluger Ruth (2001)
    Still Alive: A Holocaust Girlhood Remembered
  6. Pauley Bruce F. (1992)
    From Prejudice to Persecution: A History of Austrian Anti‐Semitism
  7. Perelman Chaim (1963)
    The Idea of Justice and the Problem of Argument
  8. Perelman Chaim (1969)
    The New Rhetoric: A Treatise on Argumentation
  9. (1988)
    Wien Acktuell
  10. Seidler Horst (1982)
    Das Reichs‐Sippenamt Entscheidet: Rassenbiologie im National Sozialismus
  11. (1986)
    Maus: A Survivor's Tale. My Father Bleeds History
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    Wien 1938
CrossRef global citation count: 18 View in citation network → Build reading path →

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