Ellen W. Gorsevski - Böcker

Offers a conceptual foundation for nonviolent rhetoric.This remarkable book asserts that nonviolent rhetoric, largely overlooked until now, supports conflict transformation when applied to contemporary political communication. Ellen W. Gorsevski explores the pragmatic nonviolence of Macedonian President Kiro Gligorov, the visual rhetoric of Nobel Prize winner Aung San Suu Kyi, and an anti-racist campaign in Billings, Montana. In so doing, she establishes a foundation for theorizing how conflicts can be understood, prevented, managed, or reduced by employing peace-minded rhetorical means. Peaceful Persuasion highlights the great possibilities, as well as deep responsibilities, of rhetorical choices made on the geopolitical scene and uncovers the transformative potential of recognizing the social, cultural, and political value of nonviolence in fostering democracy.

Offers a conceptual foundation for nonviolent rhetoric.This remarkable book asserts that nonviolent rhetoric, largely overlooked until now, supports conflict transformation when applied to contemporary political communication. Ellen W. Gorsevski explores the pragmatic nonviolence of Macedonian President Kiro Gligorov, the visual rhetoric of Nobel Prize winner Aung San Suu Kyi, and an anti-racist campaign in Billings, Montana. In so doing, she establishes a foundation for theorizing how conflicts can be understood, prevented, managed, or reduced by employing peace-minded rhetorical means. Peaceful Persuasion highlights the great possibilities, as well as deep responsibilities, of rhetorical choices made on the geopolitical scene and uncovers the transformative potential of recognizing the social, cultural, and political value of nonviolence in fostering democracy.

Ethics in Contact Rhetoric re-orients communication theory by centering touch and de-centering symbolic acts. Inspired by MLK’s tradition of nonviolent power, a contact orientation highlights the incarnate and immediate ground of communication ethics. Ethical interactions are defined as bio-relational dances arcing steps of nurture, respect, justice, and too often, violence. Centering humanity’s physical mutuality is a vital move today. Communication is a thoroughly interactive art, but the West’s ancient “instrumental” tradition of rhetoric and its accompanying utilitarian ethic valorize individual agency over joint action. This book re-balances rhetorical theory by enabling critique of embodied relational patterns. Special emphasis is placed on engaging material injustice and discerning the role of rhetoric in social transformation. Critical case studies demonstrate contact rhetoric’s rich heuristic and diverse applications.