“You Just Don’t See Enough Normal”

Amy Koerber Texas Tech University

Abstract

Building on Herndl’s concept of critical practice, this article presents a case study of attempts to change the discourse practices surrounding breast-feeding in today’s medical environment. To complicate readers’ understanding of rhetorical agency, resistance, and discursive change, the author considers the rhetorical efforts of two high-profile physicians alongside those of the nonphysician breast-feeding advocates she interviewed. Ultimately, this dual perspective shows that discursive efforts to change medical practices can fail, even when supported by powerful figures within the medical establishment, if the new ideas communicated in such efforts conflict with long-established material conditions.

Journal
Journal of Business and Technical Communication
Published
2005-07-01
DOI
10.1177/1050651905275635
Open Access
Closed
Topics

Citation Context

Cited by in this index (5)

  1. Journal of Technical Writing and Communication
  2. Journal of Business and Technical Communication
  3. Journal of Business and Technical Communication
  4. Technical Communication Quarterly
  5. Journal of Technical Writing and Communication

Cites in this index (5)

  1. Journal of Business and Technical Communication
  2. Journal of Business and Technical Communication
  3. Journal of Business and Technical Communication
  4. Written Communication
  5. Written Communication
Also cites 3 works outside this index ↓
  1. 10.1515/9781503621749
  2. 10.37514/PER-B.2003.2317.2.02
  3. 10.2307/358354
CrossRef global citation count: 12 View in citation network →