Spiritual-but-Not-Religious Discourses in Public Rhetoric and in Composition
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Miami University / OhioLINK
2014
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ndltd-OhioLink-oai-etd.ohiolink.edu-miami13995635582021-08-03T06:24:49Z Spiritual-but-Not-Religious Discourses in Public Rhetoric and in Composition Wagar, Scott Communication Composition Rhetoric Spirituality Religion composition and rhetoric writing spiritual but not religious public rhetoric civil discourse SBNR Facebook Thich Nhat Hanh Spirituality has become widely recognized as a concept distinct, if not always divorced, from religion, and the term has taken on positive and ethical connotations even as its meaning and value continue to be debated. From the disciplinary framework of composition and rhetoric studies, this dissertation explores rhetorical and pedagogical implications of spirituality in its contemporary sense. Although spirituality has been of continuing interest within composition and rhetoric, relatively little work has placed the concept in its contemporary societal and rhetorical context. My project helps to fill this gap in the discipline's knowledge by: examining multiple sites of public rhetoric on spirituality, including online opinion articles and blogs, spiritual "self-help" texts, and a Facebook group for spiritual-but-not-religious (SBNR) persons; discussing the use of a spiritual-autobiography assignment in an undergraduate composition course; and demonstrating parallels between the discipline of composition and rhetoric and certain prominent articulations of spirituality. I employ rhetorical analysis as well as person-based research drawing on interviews with Facebook users and with composition students. My findings in the first section of the project include the existence of a "definitional wrangle," in which public rhetors use the unfixed status of "spirituality" to advance particular positions on the concept's desirability or lack thereof. Further, I observe that some rhetors perceive connections between their spiritual and/or religious beliefs and their communicative ideals, and I suggest that such connections may offer rhetorical resources in the search for more civil and dialogic public discourse. In the latter part of the project, I assert that contemporary discourses of spirituality appear to be influencing composition students who write about experiences of deep meaning and/or religion. Finally, I argue that the concept of spirituality can serve composition and rhetoric studies by providing the discipline with a framework for understanding itself, insofar as many of the core values and practices of the field, such as its _ethos_ of radical inclusivity, could be deemed "spiritual." Ultimately, I suggest potential benefits as well as challenges and limitations of calling upon spirituality as a public communicative resource and as a framework for disciplinary understanding within composition and rhetoric. 2014-05-09 English text Miami University / OhioLINK http://rave.ohiolink.edu/etdc/view?acc_num=miami1399563558 http://rave.ohiolink.edu/etdc/view?acc_num=miami1399563558 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 |
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English |
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NDLTD |
| topic |
Communication Composition Rhetoric Spirituality Religion composition and rhetoric writing spiritual but not religious public rhetoric civil discourse SBNR Thich Nhat Hanh |
| spellingShingle |
Communication Composition Rhetoric Spirituality Religion composition and rhetoric writing spiritual but not religious public rhetoric civil discourse SBNR Thich Nhat Hanh Wagar, Scott Spiritual-but-Not-Religious Discourses in Public Rhetoric and in Composition |
| author |
Wagar, Scott |
| author_facet |
Wagar, Scott |
| author_sort |
Wagar, Scott |
| title |
Spiritual-but-Not-Religious Discourses in Public Rhetoric and in Composition |
| title_short |
Spiritual-but-Not-Religious Discourses in Public Rhetoric and in Composition |
| title_full |
Spiritual-but-Not-Religious Discourses in Public Rhetoric and in Composition |
| title_fullStr |
Spiritual-but-Not-Religious Discourses in Public Rhetoric and in Composition |
| title_full_unstemmed |
Spiritual-but-Not-Religious Discourses in Public Rhetoric and in Composition |
| title_sort |
spiritual-but-not-religious discourses in public rhetoric and in composition |
| publisher |
Miami University / OhioLINK |
| publishDate |
2014 |
| url |
http://rave.ohiolink.edu/etdc/view?acc_num=miami1399563558 |
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AT wagarscott spiritualbutnotreligiousdiscoursesinpublicrhetoricandincomposition |
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