Vernacular Voices: The Rhetoric of Publics and Public Spheres (Studies in Rhetoric/Communication)

Gerard A. Hauser

ISBN 10: 1570037884 / ISBN 13: 9781570037887

Published by University South Carolina Pr, 2007

Most items will be dispatched the same or the next working day. A copy that has been read, but is in excellent condition. Pages are intact and not marred by notes or highlighting. The spine remains undamaged. Seller Inventory # wbb0020702690

Synopsis:

Vernacular Voices addresses the role of citizen voices in steering a democracy through an examination of the rhetoric of publics-active segments of society that influence the general climate of public dialogue-and of the associated public spheres and public opinion. Gerard A. Hauser maintains that the interaction between everyday and official discourse discloses how active members of a complex society discover and clarify their shared interests and engage in exchanges that shape their opinions on issues of common interest. Paying close attention to how members of society engage in public dialogue reveals a picture of citizens who are contentious on matters that affect their lives. This book sets forth a conceptual framework, called publics theory, for understanding how the rhetorical character of formal and informal communication bears on the spheres in which publics form and the quality of the opinions they express. Hauser extends his discussion of these theoretical concerns through four case studies. The first explores the role of cultural memory and narrative in shaping the recent political transformations in Central Europe by contrasting events in Poland and the former Yugoslavia. The other case studies explore attempts to redefine the character of the public sphere by the so-called Meese Commission Report, the Carter administration's technological understanding of public opinion during the Iranian hostage situation of 1979-80, and the dialogue of the American people with Franklin D. Roosevelt on the meaning of America as expressed in letters encouraging him to stand for a third term in office.

About the Author: Gerard A. Hauser is professor of communication and College Professor of Distinction at the University of Colorado at Boulder. He is the author of Introduction to Rhetorical Theory and editor of Philosophy and Rhetoric in Dialogue: Redrawing Their Intellectual Landscape. He also edits the journal Philosophy and Rhetoric.

Bibliographic Details

Title: Vernacular Voices: The Rhetoric of Publics ...
Publisher: University South Carolina Pr
Publication Date: 2007
Binding: Soft cover
Condition: Very Good