Presence as argument in the public sphere

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
Open Access: Closed
Topics: public rhetoric

Citation Context

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