Mapping a Space for a Rhetorical-Cultural Analysis

Journal of Technical Writing and Communication Jul 2015

Mapping a Space for a Rhetorical-Cultural Analysis

Isidore Kafui Dorpenyo Michigan Technological University

Abstract

This article analyzes a proposal submitted to a funding unit in Michigan Technological University by a PhD Forestry student. A rhetorical-cultural approach of the text provides evidence to argue that scientific writing is rooted in a cultural practice that valorizes certain kinds of thought, practices, rituals, and symbols; that a scientist’s work is grounded and shaped by an ideological paradigm; hence, scientific texts have material existence. We find out that science writing is kairotic, selective, and persuasive. The results of the analysis provide enough insights for technical communicators to think about the role that institutions and disciplines play in knowledge production. Thus, technical communicators will not only think about rhetorical moves when they are composing, they will also think about the articulations between contexts and ideological practices and how they shape the identity of writers and communicators.

Journal: Journal of Technical Writing and Communication
Published: 2015-07-01
DOI: 10.1177/0047281615578845
Open Access: Closed
Topics: scientific writing

Citation Context

Cited by in this index (1)

Gerding et al. (2017)

When Is a Solution Not a Solution? Wicked Problems, Hybrid Solutions, and the R…

Journal of Business and Technical Communication

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