ARCSA

     Biannual Newsletter                                                                         January 2004

Contents:   - 2004 Cape Town Conference        - Rhetoric Meetings – Call for     Papers   -  Membership and Contact     Information

                                                        Vol. 2 No. 1     

 

           

  

 

 

 

 

 

 

President’s Letter

 

Dear Friends and Colleagues,

 

This letter is written from Israel where I teach this semester at a number of universities engaging the students with the study of Rhetoric. I believe that our field is instrumental for fundamental communication which is so needed here. Chaim Perelman has taught us, as we recall, that when we argue we should start with the position of our opponents. He also insisted on the 'generally accepted' as the foundation of communication. In short, take into account the others, not yourself only, and you might be heard.

            Our field is the study of the effective means of persuasion under these two premises. The alternative is a war. In South Africa when the government of the Apartheid started to talk to the leaders of the African National Congress they did not dictate (as earlier) their position but searched for the accepted, that is, listened to the other. Consequently, talks substituted violence and a new government based on free elections, as true representation of the people has been established.

            I believe that the awareness of Rhetoric, the teaching of Rhetoric, not as a sophist or even a neo-sophist endeavor but as an Aristotelian or Perelmanian exercise will train people to look for the generally accepted and to communicate meaningfully. We know that you don't just talk, you seek communication, and communication is not easy. However, we can teach how to communicate. Hence, our discipline is instrumental in keeping peace not through physical strength but via words, which are enveloped with arguments that are designed to appeal to every human being.

            Consequently, it is not accidental that we celebrate the first decade of the new South African democracy through a conference that aims to investigate the discipline of Rhetoric, as a meaningful tool of communication through verbal persuasion rather than bloody war. Our conference, our discussions will contribute to a better understanding of the art of verbal communication, which is the road for common agreements.

 

Yehoshua Gitay

 

2004 Cape Town Conference

 

On June 7-11, 2004, ARCSA will convene its Sixth Biennial Symposium in Cape Town, South Africa. The meeting will run concurrently with an international conference: Rhetoric and Democracy: About an African Athens.

 

A preliminary schedule for the conference is now posted on website hosted by the Centre for Rhetoric Studies at the University of Cape Town: http://www.uct.ac.za/depts/rhetoricafrika/

 

In addition to those presenting papers, all ARCSA members are invited to attend the conference. If you are not presenting a paper but would like to chair a session, contact Erik Doxtader (doxtader@rhetoricaltheory.com).

 

We look forward to seeing you in June.

 

 

Call for Papers – 2004 National Communication Association Conference

 

In 2004, the American-based National Communication Association will host its annual convention in Chicago, Illinois. The convention will run from November 11-15, 2003. Convention details, along with the call for papers and panels, are available online at the Association’s website: www.natcom.org

 

ARCSA is a recognized unit of the National Communication Association and every year sponsors two panels. In 2003, a number of ARCSA members delivered papers at the Miami convention.

 

All ARCSA members are invited to submit paper proposals for the 2004 Conference. This year’s call reads:

 

The Association, in collaboration with the Centre for Rhetoric Studies, Cape Town, invites paper proposals, full papers, and panel proposals which reflect on the contemporary potential and limits of rhetorical theory. Interventions which extend and trouble the anchoring of rhetoric in philosophy, political theory, or theology are encouraged, particularly as they link the dilemmas of theorizing rhetoric to the practices of democratic life and public deliberation. Congruent with this theme, the Association also encourages submissions that engage the rhetorical theory and practice of reconciliation, recognition, and transitional democratic politics.

 

All proposals must be submitted electronically by 16 February 2004, using the online All-Academic conference planning system. The submission process is quite easy. To submit a paper or panel proposal, turn your web browser to the NCA home page (www.natcom.org) and click on the call for papers. Once in the call, scroll to the ARCSA link. Then, click on the submission link at the bottom of the call. From there, simply follow the onscreen instructions. If you have questions about a particular proposal, trouble with the submission system or are unable to submit a proposal via the web, contact Erik Doxtader.

 

Membership and Contact Information

 

ARCSA membership is free and open to all interested individuals. If you wish to become a member, change your contact information, be removed from the mailing list, or submit contributions to the newsletter, please send mail to the Secretary.

 

The University of Cape Town’s Centre for Rhetoric Studies keeps a website with information about coming events of interest. Turn your web browser to:

http://www.uct.ac.za/depts/rhetoricafrika/

 

Contact Information:

 

Yehoshua Gitay (President): abagitay@hotmail.com

 

Erik Doxtader: (Secretariat): doxtader@rhetoricaltheory.com