Women Speak(ing): Forty Years of Feminist Contributions to Rhetoric and an Agenda for Feminist Rhetorical Studies

Abstract

This essay assesses feminist contributions to the field of rhetoric by examining how feminism reframed scholarly approaches to rhetoric. Two feminist methodologies, “writing women in” to rhetorical canons and “challenging rhetorical standards” are presented as primary feminist arguments in the field of rhetoric. Through this framework, the contributions of feminist rhetoric to communication are highlighted, and an agenda for future avenues of research is suggested, including the incorporation of power feminism through the use of intentional ambiguity, expansions of inter-rhetorical reflexivity in feminist work, and strategies for alliance building in classrooms and scholarly/social communities.

Keywords:

• Alliance Building
• Feminist Rhetoric
• Intentional Ambiguity
• Inter-Rhetorical Reflexivity
• Power

Additional information

Notes on contributors

Michaela D. E. Meyer

Michaela D. E. Meyer (PhD, Ohio University, 2004) is an assistant professor of Communication Studies at Christopher Newport University in Virginia. This essay resulted from the comprehensive exam portion of her PhD requirements. A previous version of this work was presented at the 2004 Central States Communication Association as one of the top papers in the Women's Caucus. The author would like to thank Raymie McKerrow and the blind reviewers from Communication Quarterly for their valuable suggestions on this piece.