Towards a Rhetoric of Everyday Life

Rhetoric has traditionally studied acts of persuasion in the affairs of government and men, but this book investigates the language of other, nontraditional rhetors, including immigrants, women, urban children, and others who have long been on the margins of civic life and political forums. Rhetoric here refers not to the classical arts of persuasion or the verbal ornamentation of elite discourse, but rather to the ways that individuals and groups use language and writing to constitute their identities and their social worlds. The contributors, including some of the most productive scholars in research on rhetoric and composition studies, collectively explore the rhetorical character of popular culture and institutional discourse. This volume will appeal to researchers and teachers of writing, rhetoric, literacy, and education.