Rhetoric of American Identities
The articulations of the American identities through media, which often make the imaginary seem real, are primarily grounded in the rhetoric of identity formation. The way the American identities have been constructed and defined by traditional and new media reflects the dynamics and complexities unique to the American society. This mediated reflection, however, brings to mind Andre Bazin’s concept of “reproductive
fallacy” (1974), or the fallacy of seeing the screen as a mirror or a window onto the real world. Bazin’s obsession with film montage, which he ruled out as a “trickery” to the continuity of the real event, may be juxtaposed with Kenneth Burke’s idea of “terministic screens,” or rhetorical lenses we put on when we process the reality to “direct attention away from some interpretations and towards others” (1966).
Therefore, we invite submissions on the media portrayals of the American identities including, but not limited to:
definitions of American identities: racial, ethnic, religious, political, etc.
monolithic identity vs. diverse identities in America
rhetoric of identity formation in the United States
aesthetics of identity representations in the media
“real” America vs. figments of its commercial imagination
American myths and symbolism
metaphors of American identities
role of media rhetoric in identity building process
Issue editors
Anna Bendrat (anna.bendrat@gmail.com) and Elżbieta Pawlak-Hejno
Schedule
submission deadline: November 30th, 2019
target publication date: June 2020.
30/11/2019 – CFP: American Identities
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