Composition Is the Ethical Negotiation of Fantastical Selves

Abstract

This article addresses an impasse between rhetoric and composition practice and theory. On one hand, from the poststructural through the posthuman, our most vigorous theories challenge classical notions of selfhood and agency. On the other hand, from institutional assessment through writing about writing, composition’s most vigorous practices entail fairly traditional ideas about selfhood and agency. This piece crosses over the impasse by suggesting that “self” and “agency” are vital fantasies for composition, and that negotiating these fantasies is an ethical process. At its heart, I argue, composition is any ethical, collective working out of these fantastical concepts that helps adaptive individuals more freely emerge.

Journal
College Composition and Communication
Published
2018-12-01
DOI
10.58680/ccc201829923
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Citation Context

Cited by in this index (5)

  1. College Composition and Communication
  2. Computers and Composition
  3. College Composition and Communication
  4. Rhetoric Society Quarterly
  5. College Composition and Communication

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