Dissent from War

The rhetorical presumption of war's necessity makes violence regrettable, but seemingly sane, and functions to shame anyone who opposes military action. Ivie proposes that the presence of dissent is actually a healthy sign of democratic citizenship, and a responsible and productive act, which has been dangerously miscast as a threat to national security.

Ivie, a former US Navy petty officer, puts a microscope to the language of war supporters throughout history and follows the lives and memories of soldiers and anti-war activists who have dealt with degrees of confusion and guilt about their opposition to war. Arguing that informed dissent plays out largely in the realm of rhetoric, he equips readers with strategies for resisting the dehumanizing language used in war propaganda. Through his careful study of language strategies, he makes it possible to foster a community where dissenting voices are valued and vital.

Robert Ivie is professor of rhetoric and public culture in the Department of Communication and Culture at Indiana University. He also serves as a member of the faculties of the American Studies, Cultural Studies, and Myth Studies programs at Indiana University. His teaching and writing focus on the critique of U.S. war culture and the study of democratic dissent and peacebuilding communication. He has served as editor of several journals of communication scholarship, including Communication and Critical/Cultural Studies and the Quarterly Journal of Speech. His previous books include Democracy and America’s War on Terror, Cold War Rhetoric: Strategy, Metaphor, and Ideology with Martin Medhurst, Philip Wander, and Robert Scott, and Congress Declares War: Rhetoric, Leadership, and Partisanship in the Early Republic with Ronald Hatzenbuehler.