In Situ Rhetoric

Abstract

This special issue examines intersections between qualitative and rhetorical inquiry through (re)introducing rhetorical fieldwork. We define rhetorical fieldwork as a set of approaches that integrate rhetorical and qualitative inquiry toward the examination of in situ practices and performances in a rhetorical field. This set of approaches falls within the participatory turn in rhetorical studies, in which rhetorical scholars increasingly turn to fieldwork, interviews, and other forms of participatory research to augment conventional methodological practices. The special issue highlights four original articles that employ, exemplify, and reflect on the value of rhetorical fieldwork as a form of critical/cultural inquiry. In this introduction, we not only introduce the key themes and articles in the special issue but also compile our take on the state of the art of rhetorical fieldwork in an effort to introduce this form of research practice to those who have not encountered it before.

From ‘History as Told’ to ‘History as Experienced’: Contextualizing the Uses of the Past

“…The study also highlights that managers and organizations do not paint their histories on blank canvasses but rather produce historical claims against the background of an existing semantic landscape that shapes the social construction process. While most management studies in the uses-of-the-past focus on analysing the claims made by organizations, Hobsbawm (1983), Hansen (2012), Ybema (2014) and Mordhorst (2014) as well as critical rhetoric scholars (Endres et al, 2016; McGee, 1990) remind us that audiences make judgements between multiple claims, usually in competition with each other, and that the process by which history is used needs to account for when and why some claims win out over others in audiences’ perceptions of reality.…”

“…Second, the move to practices reflects the most recent developments in rhetorical theory, as outlined by Bessette (2016), McGee (1990) and Endres, Hess, Senda-Cook and Middleton (2016). These scholars criticize the detached stance frequently maintained by traditional rhetoric scholars and issue a plea for a more contextualized analysis of rhetoric as it unfolds in time and within communities.…”

The Privilege of Control and the Constraint of Presence: Fieldwork and Ontologies of Time

“…I am a qualitative researcher who uses participant observation and interviews to generate notes and transcripts for rhetorical analysis. Studying rhetoric this way allows access to in situ rhetoric, which “is an all-encompassing sensual experience that happens in a particular time and place and through particular bodies” (Endres et al, 2016, p. 6). In other words, it is intersectional.…”

“Doing It” in the Kitchen: Rhetorical Field Methods, Arts/Practice-Based Research, and Queer Archives

“…In this vein, Conquergood (1991) argues that "performance-centered research takes as both its subject matter and method the experiencing body situated in time, place, and history" (p. 187). The collapse between performance as both object and method of study shifts the focus from outcomes to possibilities, as well as creates opportunities for doing criticism in inventive ways (Endres et al, 2016).…”

“…In this context, performance is not only a creative presentation such as a poetry reading, or theater—rather, performances are expanded to include embodied practices that take place outside of conventional performance spaces such as theaters and other performance venues. Performance is not just an object of study but is also “an act of criticism, a mode of engagement, and a product of research” (Endres et al, 2016). In this vein, Conquergood (1991) argues that “performance-centered research takes as both its subject matter and method the experiencing body situated in time, place, and history” (p. 187).…”