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September 20, 2006
Now THIS is my kind of work
For this seminar paper I have chosen to evaluate the writings and theories of Victor Villanueva. Villanueva’s career began in 1986 and he is currently teaching at Washington State University. Villanueva is recognized one of the few (if not only) Latino rhetoricians in the field, and theorizes about the origins of Latino rhetoric and its connection to the Ancient Greek tradition, as well as issues concerning rhetoric and racism. I am uncertain if he is part of the current canon; but if we consider the reformulating of the canon, then he will certainly garner a position within it.
Villanueva’s work is interesting to me from two perspectives. First, as a future historian/ activist, his scholarship provides me with an entry point into the ancient tradition and a means by which to influence the canon in the hopes of gaining inclusion for under-represented scholars whose theories are (still) viewed as ancillary. Secondly, through his writing I am able to evaluate my own internal rhetoric and the rhetoric of other Latino/as, and examine how and why Latino/as have acquired a particular form of expression beyond cultural affiliation and issues of citizenship. In my dissertation, I hope to address these issues of identity and its effects on the construction of social identity of Puerto Ricans. Although Dr. Villanueva has written extensively about issues concerning both composition and rhetoric, I have chosen the writings that deal specifically with the marginalization of persons of color. Primary sources for this project will include:
· Holdstein Deborah and David Bleich (eds.). “Cuentos de mi Historia: An Art of Memory,” Personal Effects: The Social Character of Scholarly Writing, Provo: Utah UP, 2001, 267-76.
· Hollins, Etta R. and Eileen I. Oliver (eds.). “The Student of Color and Contrastive Rhetoric,” Finding Pathways to Success In School: Culturally Responsive Teaching. Mahwah, NJ: Erlbaum, 1999, 107-123.
· Hecht ,Michael (ed.). “Scenes from an Individual of Color: On Individuals and Individualism,” The Communication of Prejudice, Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage, 1997, 235-45.
· Eddy, Robert (ed.) “Literacy, Culture, and the Colonial Legacy,” The Politics of Multiculturalis,. Yarmouth, ME: Intercultural Press, 1996, 79-99.
· Purves, Alan C. (ed.). “Hispanic/Latino Writing: Rhetorical Differences.” Encyclopedia of English Studies and Language Arts, 2 Vols. New York: Scholastic, 1994, 1220-34.
· Villanueva, Victor. Bootstraps: From an American Academic of Color, Urbana: NCTE, 1993.
· ________ The Rhetorics of the New Racism or the Master’s Four Tropes, FYHC: An Online Journal, October 2005.
· ________ Memoria is a Friend of Ours: On the Discourse of Color, College English, September 2004, 1-10.
· On The Rhetoric and Precedents of Racism, College Composition and Communication, Summer 1999, 89-105.
· ________The Voice of Voices in the Writer of Color, English Journal, December 1995, 68-69.
· ________Hegemony: From an Organically Grown Intellectual, PRE/TEXT: A Journal of Rhetorical Theory, Spring/Summer 1992, 18-34.
· ________Reading Rhetoric Outside and In: Theory, Pedagogy, and Politics in Race, Rhetoric, and Composition, JAC: A Journal of Composition Theory, Winter 2000, 195-204.
· ________On Colonies, Canons, and Ellis Cose’s The Rage of A Privileged Class, JAC: A Journal of Composition Theory, Winter 1996, 159-69.
Ultimately, my hope is that this project will expand my understanding of the current conversations occurring in the field with regard to alternative rhetorics, so that I can knowledgeably contribute to the aforementioned conversations in the future.
Posted by dvaldesd at September 20, 2006 11:11 AM