Full abstracts are available for each of the paper sessions at the 2026 Symposium in Portland, Oregon.
The following abstracts are for Panel 3: Genres Neglected and New from 1:30-2:45 p.m. on Thursday, May 21.
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“Beginnings of Japanese Rhetoric: The Panegyric Poetry of Hitomaro” — Estée Crenshaw (Utah Valley University)
Abstract: My presentation examines the work of Japanese court poet Kakinomoto Hitomaro (fl. ca. 680–700) to consider how we might understand non-Western traditions that approach rhetoric as conceived in the West but have clear points of departure in their assumptions and operation. Is it rhetoric? Or simply “rhetorical”? Is there a difference? And if there is, how do we know where to draw the line? How do we take into account the localized development of language practices within a wider framework of rhetoric as a universally shared practice?Research into Japanese rhetoric tends to focus on modern and contemporary periods—largely after Western rhetoric had been introduced to Japan—because it is easier to identify commonalities with Western theories and practices. The extent to which an indigenous rhetorical tradition existed in premodern Japan has been largely neglected due to a perceived lack of rhetorical contexts in the sociopolitical structure of imperial rule. While little is known of Hitomaro’s life as a court poet, his work recorded in the 8th-century anthology Man’yōshū suggests he was tasked with composing poems for ceremonial events, official occasions, and state funerals on behalf of the imperial family. As one of the earliest known and most revered literary figures in Japan, Hitomaro seems to exemplify an important overlap between poetic and rhetorical aims in premodern Japanese society, thus providing a helpful case study in considering the wider questions of what constitutes a rhetorical tradition and how might we best approach Japan’s own history of rhetoric.
“Monastic Rhetoric and Quiet Arts of Persuasion” — Andrew Mauzey (Biola University)
Abstract: The history of rhetoric often privileges public and overtly persuasive discourse. Yet in the cloisters of medieval monasteries, a different rhetorical tradition thrived. This presentation examines monastic rhetoric as a mode of persuasive practice, one shaped not by the need to win arguments but by the pursuit of contemplation and spiritual transformation. Drawing from texts such as The Rule of St. Benedict, medieval sermons, scriptural commentaries, and spiritual meditations, I argue that monastic rhetorical practices relied on repetition, silence, humility, and interiority, a contrast to the classical ideals of eloquence and civic engagement. These “quiet arts of persuasion” were not merely theological or devotional, they were rhetorical in their structure and audience awareness. By foregrounding these contemplative forms of rhetorical practice, this presentation explores how our understanding of rhetorical history shift when we expand the canon beyond Greco-Roman oratory to include religious and meditative discourse and what happens when we redefine persuasion itself as not just conquering or converting but as personal transformation. Ultimately, this paper invites rhetorical historians to attend more closely to non-dominant rhetorical traditions and to forms of discourse that may be quiet and non-agonistic, yet no less artful or impactful. In doing so, we may recover neglected legacies that complicate and enrich our understanding of rhetoric’s past and future.
“A Rhetoric of History on Coins of the Ancient Roman Republic” — Gabriela Vlahovici-Jones (University of Maryland Eastern Shore)
Abstract: The silver denarius emerged in the Roman Republic in 211 B.C., as a response to the monetary demands of the Second Punic War and a powerful tool for public outreach. Featuring helmeted Roma on the obverse and the Dioscuri on the reverse, the early denarius invoked a defining moment in Rome’s history – the battle of Lake Regillus, where the forces of the fledgling Republic defeated the allies of Rome’s last king. At a time when Rome was fighting Carthage on multiple fronts, coin iconography summoned the memory of Lake Regillus as a model of courage, resilience, and hope. The silver denarius later became Rome’s primary currency, providing a material space for arguments about issuers’ ethos and political visions. My presentation argues that a visual rhetoric of history emerged out of the traditions of Roman coin iconography and that key rhetorical strategies targeted viewers’ memories and identities. Anchored in the materiality of images and inscriptions, the recalled past engaged viewers in an interplay of remembering and forgetting and cast them into roles that suited the issuers’ goals. Examples of denarii struck during the Middle and Late Republic show that coin issuers curated public memories in ways that shifted viewers’ roles from citizens to followers, contributing to the gradual and irreversible disintegration of Republican ideals. The rhetoric of history articulated by coin iconography offers insights into the negotiation of ethos, providing material perspectives on Isocratean and Ciceronian notions of rhetors’ prior reputation and personal connections with audiences.
“Remembering Roosevelt, Remembering Species: Rhetoric’s Sensorium and Conservation History” — Katie O’Malley Perrin (University of Maryland)
Abstract: Theodore Roosevelt as the “Conservation President” represents a popular memory of U.S. conservation: the establishment of national parks and preservation of “wild” spaces. This project seeks to interrogate this popular memory. As such, I turn to a secluded archive, the National Museum of Natural History’s Mammals Collections. This archive houses thousands of animal specimens preserved in the name of conservation. Specifically, it holds hundreds of specimens that Roosevelt collected in the early twentieth century. As such, I consider how this collection of specimens contributes to both the public memory of Roosevelt and the complicated history of conservation in the United States. To do so, I consider rhetoric’s sensorium (Hawhee) and the process of moving and being through the archive (Dickinson and Aiello). I consider what it feels like to be in the archive alongside the specimens and how that experience impacts the public memory of conservation. Ultimately I argue that the sensory experience of this unusual archive elucidates a less popular and more complicated history of conservation projects. The focus on the sensory experience and co-presence attends to evolving conversations about history and “rhetorical activity as embodied” (Hawhee). Overall, this project shows how movement and sensory experiences add value to the study of history through a rhetorical lens.