Readings on the Rhetoric of Social Protest

Readings on the Rhetoric of Social Protest includes thirty-five of the most significant essays from the literature. From groundbreaking theoretical works to very recent case studies, the selections reveal the evolution of a dynamic scholarship--its theoretical foundations, the debates that shape further inquiry, the critical studies that illustrate key theoretical positions. Drawing on a wide range of movements, these essays show people attempting to reform society from within. They also argue for a communication-based theory of social protest, exploring language choices and other rhetorical strategies that create leaders, inspire followers, confront power, and attract public support and sympathy--or that silence dissent, suppress uprising, or discredit protesters.

The new edition reflects current issues in and perspectives on the rhetoric of social movements, as well as a wider range of historical and contemporary social movements. A revised organization highlights conceptual themes across movements and scholarship.

Substantive introductions to the each chapter highlight key points, vital connections, and recurring conflicts. A selected bibliography--expanded in this edition--helps students launch their own research on social movements.

The first edition of this book was reviewed in Rhetoric and Public Affairs and The Review of Communication.

Charles E. Morris III is Associate Professor in the Department of Communication at Boston College, where he teaches courses in rhetorical criticism, the history of American public address, public memory, and social protest rhetoric. He has a B.A. from Boston College. He received his M.A. and Ph.D. from The Pennsylvania State University. He is the editor of the forthcoming volume Queering Public Address, and his work has appeared in the Quarterly Journal of Speech, Communication and Critical/Cultural Studies, Rhetoric & Public Affairs, Free Speech Yearbook, and Women’s Studies in Communication. Professor Morris received the National Communication Association’s Karl Wallace Memorial Award and Golden Anniversary Monograph Award.

Stephen H. Browne is Professor of Speech Communication at The Pennsylvania State University, where he teaches courses in rhetorical theory and criticism. He received his B.S. from the University of Oregon, his M.A. from Colorado State University, and his Ph.D. from the University of Wisconsin. He is the author of Edmund Burke and the Discourse of Virtue (1993), Angelina Grimké: Rhetoric, Identity, and the Radical Imagination (1999), and Jefferson’s Call for Nationhood: The First Inaugural Address 2003). He has published more than thirty essays in the history and criticism of rhetoric in the Quarterly Journal of Speech, Communication Monographs, Rhetoric and Public Affairs, and other journals. Professor Browne received the National Communication Association’s Diamond Anniversary Book Award and the Karl Wallace Memorial Award.