Advances in the History of Rhetoric Apr 2015 Open Access

Rhetorical Crossings of 1989: Communist Space, Arguments by Definition, and Discourse of National Identity Twenty-Five Years Later

Noemi Marin Florida Atlantic University

Abstract

ABSTRACTThe Romanian political scene at the end of 1989 calls for a critical rhetorical perspective to understand how totalitarian politics clash with revolutionary changes and how communist space, so ambitiously crafted to cover an entire country’s public sphere, influences, if at all, a free(d) discourse on national unity. Examining official discourse on the cusp of revolutionary changes in Romania, in December 1989, this study argues that the concept of rhetorical space along with the enthymematic argument by definition of “we the nation” capture rhetoric in action, showing complex discursive crossings that legitimize the relationship between rhetoric and history at such times. Thus, the relationship between rhetorical space and the “we the nation” political argument, when applied to Romanian political discourse of 1989, reveals challenges that continue to feature the unsettledness of postcommunist discourse twenty-five years later.

Journal
Advances in the History of Rhetoric
Published
2015-04-13
DOI
10.1080/15362426.2015.1010878
CompPile
Search in CompPile ↗
Open Access
OA PDF Green
Topics
rhetorical criticism discourse analysis public rhetoric
Export
BibTeX RIS

Citation Context

Cited by in this index (0)

No articles in this index cite this work.

References (31) · 3 in this index

  1. Jerzy (2003)
    Rhetoric of Transformation. Vol. 6 of Essays and Studies: Center for Studies on the Class…
  2. Bachelard (1964)
    The Poetics of Space
  3. Ceausescu, Nicolae . 1989a. “Cuvantarea Tovarasului Nicolae Ceausescu La Posturile de Radio si Televiziune,” …
  4. Deletant (2004)
    The Security Services Since 1989: Turning Over a New Leaf
  5. Dobrescu (1997)
    Iliescu Contra Iliescu: Analiza din Interior a Campaniei Electorale 1996
Show all 31 →
  1. Goetz-Stankiewicz (1992)
    Good-Bye Samizdat: Twenty Years of Czechoslovak Underground Writing
  2. Gorbachev (1987)
    Toward a Better World
  3. Habermas (1996)
    “Further Reflections on the Public Sphere,” trans. Thomas Burger
  4. Habermas (1996)
    The Structural Transformation of the Public Sphere: An Inquiry into a Category of Bourgeo…
  5. Hauser (1999)
    Vernacular Voices: The Rhetoric of Publics and Public Spheres
  6. Havel (1990)
    Disturbing the Peace
  7. Ignatieff, Michael . 2014. “Are the Authoritarians Winning?” The New York Review of Books, July 10. http://ww…
  8. Marin (2004)
    Rhetoric at the Gates of Revolution: Romanian Presidential Discourse in Translation
    Advances in the History of Rhetoric
  9. Marin (2005)
    “Communiqué to the Country by the Council of the National Salvation Front.” The People’s …
  10. Marin (2006)
    The Other Side(s) of History: The Return of Rhetoric
    Advances in the History of Rhetoric
  11. Marin (2007)
    After the Fall: Rhetoric in the Aftermath of Dissent in Post-Communist Times.
  12. Marin (2010)
    Ceausescu’s Rhetorical Legacy: Totalitarian Rhetoric and Its Impact on Communist Romania
  13. trans (2011)
    “Ceausescu’s Speech on Timisoara and the Romanian Revolution” (Cuvantarea rostita de pres…
  14. trans (2011)
    ‘History Ante Portas!’: Nicoale Ceausescu’s Speech in Response to the Timisoara Events an…
  15. trans (2012)
    Totalitarian Discourse and Ceausescu’s Loss of Words: Memorializing Rhetoric in 1989 Romania
  16. Marin (2011)
    Collocutio
  17. McGee (1999)
    The Argument from Definition Revisited: Race and Definition in the Progressive Era
    Argumentation and Advocacy  ↗
  18. Michnik (2003)
    Gray Is Beautiful
  19. Minielli, Maureen C. 2010. “Crisis and Argument by Definition in the Modern American Presidency.” In Internat…
  20. Stefanescu (2013)
    Postcommunism, Postcolonialism: Siblings of Subalternity
  21. Tismaneanu (2003)
    Stalinism for All Seasons: A Political History of Romanian Communism
  22. ———. (2004)
    Marele Soc Din Finalul Unui Secol Scurt: Ion Iliescu in Dialog cu Vladimir Tismaneanu
  23. Tismaneanu (2007)
    Raport Final: Comisia Prezidentiala pentru Analiza Dictaturii Comuniste in Romania
  24. Walton et al. (2009)
    Reasoning from Classifications and Definitions
    Argumentation
  25. Williams (2005)
    Managing ‘Democracy’ in the Age of Terrorism: Putin, Bush, and Arguments from Definition
  26. Zarefsky (2004)
    Presidential Rhetoric and the Power of Definition
    Presidential Studies Quarterly  ↗
CrossRef global citation count: 3 View in citation network → Build reading path →

Related Articles

  1. Res Rhetorica Oct 2025
    Fractured borders and politics of resistance: Post-9/11 through Rabiye Kurnaz vs. George W. Bush (2022) ↗
    BETÜL ATEŞCİ KOÇAK
    rhetorical criticism discourse analysis public rhetoric
  2. Res Rhetorica Oct 2025
    Walls, borders, and the rhetoric of fear: A longitudinal study of Trump’s campaign addresses ↗
    Alma Vančura
    rhetorical criticism discourse analysis empirical research public rhetoric
  3. Res Rhetorica Jun 2025
    Language as a front of conflict: Russian discourse on the Ukrainian language in the context of the Russian-Ukrainian war ↗
    Nadia Gergalo-Dabek
    rhetorical criticism discourse analysis public rhetoric
  4. Philosophy & Rhetoric Apr 2025
    Introduction: On the Desirability of Speaking to Others ↗
    Nirvana Tanoukhi; Nicholas Dunn
    modern rhetorical theory rhetorical criticism discourse analysis argument social media race and writing gender and writing disability studies public rhetoric literary studies editorial matter
  5. Rhetoric & Public Affairs Dec 2024
    American Kairos: Washington National Cathedral and the New Civil Religion ↗
    Randall Fowler
    rhetorical criticism discourse analysis argument archival research race and writing gender and writing public rhetoric body and rhetoric place and space editorial matter