Philosophy & Rhetoric Feb 2020

The Short History of Rhetorical Theory

Peter Simonson University of Colorado Boulder

Abstract

ABSTRACTThis essay throws genealogical light upon contemporary theoretical practice by charting the relatively short history of rhetorical theory as a consequential sign in Anglophone discourse. It advances a historical sociology of knowledge inflected by feminist and postcolonial studies to trace the invention, institutionalization, and changing meanings of rhetorical theory from the late nineteenth century to the present. In the process, it illuminates three structuring patterns: (1) the valorization of European civilization that accompanied U.S. settler colonialism and its manifestation in universities where rhetorical theory materially grounded itself; (2) the gendered production of knowledge within academic institutions, particularly through the masculinization of the postwar university and its shaping of communities of inquiry invested in rhetorical theory; and (3) the power of relevance as a metonym for intellectual, political, and educational initiatives that, beginning in the late 1960s, enlarged rhetorical theory's community of inquiry and range of meanings.

Journal
Philosophy & Rhetoric
Published
2020-02-21
DOI
10.5325/philrhet.53.1.0075
Open Access
Closed
Topics
rhetorical theory race and writing multilingual writers

Citation Context

Cited by in this index (0)

No articles in this index cite this work.

Cites in this index (3)

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    College Composition and Communication
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CrossRef global citation count: 4 View in citation network →

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