An African Athens: Rhetoric and the Shaping of Democracy in South Africa (Rhetoric, Knowledge, and Society Series) - Hardcover

Salazar, Philippe-Joseph

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 0805833412 ISBN 13: 9780805833416

Publisher: Routledge, 2002

Synopsis

An African Athens offers an analysis of a new ecology of rhetoric--the reshaping of a nation into a democracy through rhetorical means. Author Philippe-Joseph Salazar provides a general view of issues as they have taken shape in the apartheid and post-apartheid South African experience, presenting the country as a remarkable stage for playing out the great themes of public deliberation and the rise of postmodern rhetorical democracy. Salazar's intimate vantage point focuses on the striking case of a democracy won at the negotiating table and also won every day in public deliberation.

This volume presents a full-scale rhetorical analysis of a democratic transformation in post-Cold War era, and provides a study of the demise of apartheid and post-apartheid from the standpoint of political and public rhetoric and communication. In doing so, it serves as a template for similar enquiries in the rhetorical study of emerging democracies.

Intended for readers engaged in the study of political and public rhetoric with an interest in how democracy takes shape, An African Athens highlights South Africa as a test case for global democracy, for rhetoric, and for the relevance of rhetoric studies in a postmodern democracy.

About this title

Review

"The book is a welcome addition to the resources available in the field of architectural structures. It is written from the viewpoint of the building, with all its needs and functions, and allows the design of the building to interact with the structural system and materials so that each informs the other. It should appeal particularly in the teaching environment, where students can be guided into an understanding of the interconnectedness of all the aspects of architectural design." - Peter R. Smith, Architectural Science Review

Synopsis

As the millennium turns on its hinges, South Africa offers a remarkable stage for a replay of the great themes of public deliberation and the rise of postmodern rhetorical democracy. South Africa indeed serves as a unique example of a democracy that has issues from a regime that both magnified and pre-dated European colonialism, and which has broken that mold without the prising apart of either a revolution or a disintegration. It also offers the striking case of a democracy won at the negotiating table and also won every day in public deliberation. This book is not a history of the transition from apartheid to democracy; instead, it is an analysis of a new ecology of rhetoric. Salazar's aim is to arrive at a general view of issues as they have taken shape in the particular South African experience. In his examination of the documents and dialog which define the transitional period, Salazar employs South Africa as a test case for global democracy, for rhetoric, and for the relevance of rhetoric studies in a post modern democracy.

About this edition

• Publisher: Routledge
• Publication date: 2002
• ISBN 10: 0805833412
• ISBN 13: 9780805833416
• Binding: Hardcover
• Edition number: 1
• Number of pages: 246