Rhetoric

Researchers in the Section for Rhetoric are interested in the role of rhetoric in a broad range of public life and discourse: from cultural journalism to political punditry, from politicians’ speeches to protest rhetoric, from sermons to information campaigns, and from marketing to Reddit communities.

The Section for Rhetoric is a theoretically and methodologically diverse scholarly community in which communicative aspects of the human condition and society are studied and critiqued. Research in the section comprises historical as well as contemporary perspectives and takes an interest in rhetoric across digital and analogue contexts. How do rhetorical practices reflect a particular historical moment, thinking and values? How does rhetoric shape the times it is part of? How does the rhetoric of the past influence our time? How can rhetoric be a starting point for critical inquiry and innovation when it comes to societal challenges? As a research community, we strive to find answers to such questions on the assumption that symbolic action - whether in speech, writing or some other form - does something to and with us.

Researchers in the section work with various topics, for example, debate norms, rhetorical citizenship, official apologies, knowledge production, persona constructions in journalism, and the history of Danish rhetoric. Common for all researchers is a starting point in rhetorical theory and method, often in a cross-disciplinary integration with theory and methods from neighboring fields such as political theory, philosophy, linguistics, journalism and media studies, argumentation theory, anthropology, pedagogy, digital humanities, and gender studies. We work primarily with qualitative methods: textual analysis (close readings) of selected material, but we also use digital methods and do fieldwork to access more informal discourses.

The integration of rhetorical practice and theory on multiple levels is a cornerstone of the rhetorical tradition, and our teaching is committed to training students in practical communicative competencies and critical skills.