Rhetoric & Public Affairs Mar 2013

Selling Democracy and the Rhetorical Habits of Synthetic Conflict: John Dewey as Pragmatic Rhetor in China

Scott R. Stroud

Abstract

Abstract This study examines the case of the American philosopher John Dewey as rhetor and public intellectual in China in 1919–1921 to elucidate the lived rhetoric of pragmatism. In China, Dewey gave more than 200 lectures to large academic and general audiences on topics such as education, philosophy, and science. This lecturing activity represents a remarkable and complex rhetorical situation as it involves Dewey addressing an audience not familiar with his ideas and potentially open to persuasion. Using recently discovered lecture notes written by Dewey and translations from the Chinese interpretations of his lectures, I argue that his lectures evinced a pragmatist rhetorical style that attempted to reconstruct dominant habits of thought and communication among his Chinese audiences. In so doing, this study advances our understanding of Dewey as rhetor and the theoretical grounds of the pragmatist rhetoric of experience and synthetic conflict.

Journal
Rhetoric & Public Affairs
Published
2013-03-01
DOI
10.14321/rhetpublaffa.16.1.0097
Open Access
Closed
Topics
multilingual writers voice and style

Citation Context

Cited by in this index (2)

  1. Stroud (2016)
    Pragmatism and the Pursuit of Social Justice in India: Bhimrao Ambedkar and the…
    Rhetoric Society Quarterly
  2. Hartnett (2013)
    To “Dance with Lost Souls”: Liu Xiaobo, <i>Charter 08</i>, and the Contested Rh…
    Rhetoric & Public Affairs

Cites in this index (2)

  1. Stroud (2012)
    William James and the Impetus of Stoic Rhetoric
    Philosophy & Rhetoric
  2. Stob (2011)
    Pragmatism, Experience, and William James's Politics of Blindness
    Philosophy & Rhetoric
Also cites 4 works outside this index ↓
  1. (2006)
    “Thinking in Public with Rhetoric,”
    Philosophy and Rhetoric  ↗
  2. (2005)
    “Kenneth Burke, John Dewey, and the Pursuit of the Public,”
    Philosophy and Rhetoric  ↗
  3. (2003)
    “Elastic, Agonistic Publics: John Dewey's Call for a Third Party,”
    Argumentation and Advocacy  ↗
  4. (2009)
    “William James on Meliorism, Moral Ideals, and Business Ethics,”
    Transactions of the Charles S. Peirce Society  ↗
CrossRef global citation count: 7 View in citation network →

Related Articles

  1. Journal of Business and Technical Communication Jan 2026
    Increasing Literacy on the Scams Targeting Latines: Generative Artificial Intelligence, Digital Technologies, and the Latine Community ↗
    Gabriel Lorenzo Aguilar
    artificial intelligence technical communication multilingual writers voice and style
  2. Research in the Teaching of English Nov 2025
    “No Todo Lo Que Pintan Es Real”: Feminista Pláticas toward Speculative Civic Literacies in the Borderlands ↗
    Rita Kamani-Renedo
    translingualism multilingual writers voice and style
  3. Research in the Teaching of English Nov 2025
    Dreaming beyond the Classroom: Exploring Youth Imagination, Civic Praxis, and Relational Pedagogy in Schools ↗
    Lauren Leigh Kelly; Semaj Eric Skillings; Abigail Osorio
    multilingual writers voice and style
  4. Composition Forum Oct 2025
    “The New Illiteracy”: “Why Johnny Can’t Write” at 50 ↗
    multilingual writers voice and style
  5. Philosophy & Rhetoric Oct 2025
    The Interdisciplinary Uncanny: On Not Recognizing Richard McKeon ↗
    Elizabeth S. Goodstein
    race and writing multilingual writers voice and style