Inventing the Slums: Rhetoric, Race, and Place in Westlake Terrace

Joshua M. Rea Louisiana State University in Shreveport

Abstract

This article examines connections between rhetoric, race, and place. Using archival research to examine Westlake Terrace, the author asks how the rhetorics of places like Westlake racialize the place and its people. The article shows that these rhetorics perpetuate the agenda of structural racism, and the material consequences of these rhetorics. It is argued that looking at the history of Westlake reveals a process of rhetorical invention that imbues the place with rhetorical and racial tensions. Attending to these moments of invention can both reveal ways that inequalities are built into places and help us work toward more equitable places.

Journal
Rhetoric Review
Published
2022-01-02
DOI
10.1080/07350198.2021.2002071
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Cited by in this index (1)

  1. Technical Communication Quarterly

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