Abstract

The author suggests that if compositionists consider their work in the context of postmodern sciences such as chaos theory they may entertain the notion that order emerges from chaos in unpredictable yet comprehensible (albeit new and radical) ways. She offers the hope that such a notion may aid them in effectively resisting pressures to define themselves and their students, through practices such as retrogressive pedagogies and standardized testing, as the gatekeepers and practitioners of “order.”