Synopses & Reviews
Synopsis
Editors Shari J. Stenberg and Charlotte Hogg gather timely and provocative rhetorics that represent critical issues and rhetorical affordances of the twenty-first century. Rhetors in the anthology make use of technologies that extend the availability and reach of rhetoric; address new political and civic issues of concern to women; and explore changing conceptions of gender. Contributors range from well-known figures like Hillary Clinton, Malala Yousafzai, and Michelle Obama to writers, bloggers, and makers. Each primary text is prefaced with an engaging critical introduction that situates the rhetor in cultural context, highlights key rhetorical strategies, and offers additional resources to readers. Both nuanced and accessible, this collection is appropriate for scholars and students alike, who will find in its pages new ways to interpret the rhetorical canon and exciting possibilities for future women's rhetorical acts.
Synopsis
In June 2015, Bree Newsome scaled the flagpole in front of South Carolina's State Capitol and removed the Confederate flag, and the following month, the Confederate flag was permanently removed from the State Capitol. Newsome is a compelling example of a twenty-first century women rhetor, along with bloggers, writers, politicians, activists, artists, and everyday social media users, who give new meaning to Aristotle's ubiquitous definition of rhetoric as the discovery of the "available means of persuasion." Women's persuasive acts from the first two decades of the twenty-first century include new technologies, and repurposed old ones, engaged not only to persuade, but also to tell their stories, to sponsor change, and to challenge cultural forces that repress and oppress.
Persuasive Acts: Women's Rhetorics in the Twenty-first Century gathers an expansive array of voices and texts, including well-known figures like Hillary Rodham Clinton, Malala Yousafzai, Michelle Obama, Lindy West, Sonia Sotomayor, and Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie, so that you may converse with them, extend them, and build rhetorics of your own. Editors Shari J. Stenberg and Charlotte Hogg have gathered timely and provocative rhetorics that represent critical issues and rhetorical affordances of the twenty-first century.