Changing the Subject: A Theory of Rhetorical Empathy
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Miami University / OhioLINK
2013
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| Online Access: | http://rave.ohiolink.edu/etdc/view?acc_num=miami1374430177 |
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ndltd-OhioLink-oai-etd.ohiolink.edu-miami13744301772021-08-03T06:18:40Z Changing the Subject: A Theory of Rhetorical Empathy Blankenship, Lisa Communication Composition Gender Studies Glbt Studies Rhetoric Sociolinguistics rhetorical empathy communication across difference ethics civil discourse rhetorical theory gay rights and fundamentalist discourse labor rhetoric multimodal rhetoric public sphere rhetoric critical race theory This project explores the concept of empathy as a rhetorical stance and strategy of engaging across marked social differences. It contributes to Krista Ratcliffe’s call for scholars in rhetoric and composition studies to "map more theoretical terrain and provide more pragmatic tactics for peaceful, cross-cultural negotiation and coalition building" (<i>Rhetorical Listening</i> 72). I define <i>rhetorical empathy</i> as a trope characterized by narrative and emotional appeals and as a <i>topos</i> or attitude interlocutors adopt to engage with socially marked difference, building on Susan Miller’s conception of rhetoric as emotion-based trust (<i>Trust in Texts</i>).This dissertation also addresses a gap in studies on empathy within cognitive science and psychology that typically focus on bodily responses to attempt to measure someone’s level of empathetic engagement within staged scenarios. Such studies often do not take into account the social position of research subjects or the role of motivations in empathetic responses. My research methodology for this project involves an analysis of three rhetorical exchanges involving marked social difference: in Chapter Three I focus on <i>class</i> in two late-nineteenth labor rights speeches of Jane Addams; Chapter Four centers on the intersection of <i>sexuality/gender and religion</i> in the rhetoric of two contemporary gay rights activists; and in Chapter Five I focus on constructions of <i>race</i> in the online, multimodal response of a minority student group to a racist Twitter incident at a midwestern U.S. university. I identify the following recurring and recursive moves as characteristic of rhetorical strategies based on empathy:•Appealing to the personal within discourse systems: experience and emotions •Considering motives behind speech acts and actions•Confronting difference and injustice•Situating a rhetorical exchange as part of an ongoing process of mutual understanding and (ex)change (including vulnerability and self-critique on the part of the rhetor) Rhetorical empathy functions as a way of forming connections and shifting power dynamics among interlocutors within a complex web of rhetorical exchange. By combining <i>rhetoric</i> and <i>empathy</i>, I highlight aspects of each: <i>rhetoric</i> as a strategic use of symbol systems using various modes of communication—language, still and moving images, and sound—and, after Wispe ("Distinction" 318), <i>empathy</i> as involving both a volitional, deliberate attempt to understand an Other and the emotional elements involved in such attempts. 2013-07-29 English text Miami University / OhioLINK http://rave.ohiolink.edu/etdc/view?acc_num=miami1374430177 http://rave.ohiolink.edu/etdc/view?acc_num=miami1374430177 unrestricted This thesis or dissertation is protected by copyright: all rights reserved. It may not be copied or redistributed beyond the terms of applicable copyright laws. |
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NDLTD |
| language |
English |
| sources |
NDLTD |
| topic |
Communication Composition Gender Studies Glbt Studies Rhetoric Sociolinguistics rhetorical empathy communication across difference ethics civil discourse rhetorical theory gay rights and fundamentalist discourse labor rhetoric multimodal rhetoric public sphere rhetoric critical race theory |
| spellingShingle |
Communication Composition Gender Studies Glbt Studies Rhetoric Sociolinguistics rhetorical empathy communication across difference ethics civil discourse rhetorical theory gay rights and fundamentalist discourse labor rhetoric multimodal rhetoric public sphere rhetoric critical race theory Blankenship, Lisa Changing the Subject: A Theory of Rhetorical Empathy |
| author |
Blankenship, Lisa |
| author_facet |
Blankenship, Lisa |
| author_sort |
Blankenship, Lisa |
| title |
Changing the Subject: A Theory of Rhetorical Empathy |
| title_short |
Changing the Subject: A Theory of Rhetorical Empathy |
| title_full |
Changing the Subject: A Theory of Rhetorical Empathy |
| title_fullStr |
Changing the Subject: A Theory of Rhetorical Empathy |
| title_full_unstemmed |
Changing the Subject: A Theory of Rhetorical Empathy |
| title_sort |
changing the subject: a theory of rhetorical empathy |
| publisher |
Miami University / OhioLINK |
| publishDate |
2013 |
| url |
http://rave.ohiolink.edu/etdc/view?acc_num=miami1374430177 |
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AT blankenshiplisa changingthesubjectatheoryofrhetoricalempathy |
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