Call for Papers

2007 ASHR Conference

Rhetoric and Revolution

Wednesday, 14 November 2007

Chicago, Illinois

It could be argued that the history of rhetoric in Greece was set in motion with a revolt against tyranny. From its ancient origins until the present, rhetoric has been an essential tool of political power, both for movements for radical social and political change and those to preserve the status quo. The 2007 conference of the American Society for the History of Rhetoric will explore the historic relationship between rhetoric and revolution. We invite submissions that consider how rhetorical theory, practice, and pedagogy have been used to foster or resist popular acceptance of revolutionary ideas and ideologies, and to encourage or discourage acts of rebellion against established social, political, and economic systems. Additionally, because rhetorical traditions reflect history and culture as much as they shape them, we encourage submissions that examine how rhetoric itself has been affected by radical social, political, and intellectual changes and technological innovations.

 

Keynote Speaker:

Joan B. Landes, Penn State University, “Gender and Revolution in Republican Imagery”

Joan B. Landes is the Ferree Professor of Early Modern History andWomen's Studies at The Pennsylvania State University. Her research engages questions of gender, political culture, and visual cognition in old regime and revolutionary France, and historical and contemporary feminist theory. Her books include Women and the Public Sphere in the Age of the French Revolution (Ithaca, N.Y., 1988); Visualizing the Nation: Gender, Representation, and Revolution in Eighteenth-Century France (Ithaca, N.Y., 2001); and Monstrous Bodies/Political Monstrosities in Early Modern Europe (Ithaca, N.Y. 2004).
 

Submissions:

Although proposals of all work in the history of rhetoric will be considered, preference will be given to submissions that address topics consistent with the conference theme, including, but not limited to, the following:

* Rhetorical strategies of individuals and/or organizations involved in revolutionary or counterrevolutionary movements

* Rhetoric and revolutionary ideology

* Revolutionary and counterrevolutionary propaganda (verbal, visual, embodied performance)

* Rhetorical pedagogy as a form of social control or resistance

* The impact of new technologies on rhetorical theory and/or practice

* Revolutions as rhetorical constructions

Panel proposals will be considered, but individual submissions are encouraged. Individual proposals should consist of a title and an abstract of no more than 500 words without identifying features in the body of the text. Panel descriptions should include a description of the panel's theme and descriptions of each presentation (not to exceed 750 words). A detachable cover sheet with author(s), title, and contact information should be included.

Papers from rhetoric, classics, languages and literatures, cultural studies, history, philosophy, and all related disciplines are encouraged, as are submissions from scholars who are not members of ASHR.

Proposals should be submitted as e-mail attachments in Microsoft Word format to Mary.Anne.Trasciatti@hofstra.edu. The deadline for papers and proposals is Friday, August 3, 2007. Acceptance decisions will be made by September 1. Additional information on the conference program will be posted at the ASHR website www.ashr.org at that time.

NB: For the first time, pr-registration for this event will be required.