In the process of delegitimating the master narratives that have sustained Western civilization in the past, Postmodernism provoked a "crisis in narrative" which Francois Lyotard describes as narrativity that presents a sense of loss but not of what is lost. Recent histories of rhetoric have promulgated the view that rhetorical maps…

This paper examines the origins of the principle of free expression as worked out by Galileo. It is intended to supplement standard histories of the development of free expression and to recover its history as part of the political project of postmodernism. The paper resurrects Galileo's encounters with entrenched beliefs in order to position free…

Argues that, by initiating a critique of the misrepresentations of Mexican Americans by established anthropologists, Chicana/o scholars anticipated a new anthropology and the problems of an apolitical postmodernism. Examines the challenges offered by Chicana feminists. Suggests that all these dialogues developed because of inequalities within the…

In preparation for this lecture, the author read, among other studies, previous Sargent, Homans, and Hannah lectures. These papers read well, and, they continue to inform people today. Importantly, these lecturers addressed timely issues that confronted physical education in higher education and to some extent shaped the field as one now knows it.…

In a recent debate on authority in the discourse of English Studies scholarship, writers seem to line up on two sides: the "friends of the familiar essay," and those who advocate "the article." The essay/article debate seems to be part of the conflict opened by the Renaissance over writing, selfhood, power, and knowledge. What…

Discussion of the professional education of information workers argues the importance of core skills development but also reaffirms the value of library history. Examines the historical dynamics of the birth of the profession, alongside the modern library, in order to gain a critical perspective on contemporary postmodern libraries. (Contains 25…

Discusses United States communication research as it emerged in the 1940s, the successor to propaganda analysis and tributary of modernization theory. Places it in the broader context mid-century American and European social thought. Compares these developments to the work of Hannah Arendt and of Emmanuel Levinas on the sense of difference and…

Based on the idea that the study of postmodernism is a useful and valuable pursuit because it engages students in discussions of fundamental questions about the individual's situation in the world, this book takes an interdisciplinary approach to address postmodernism effectively. The book conceives postmodernism as a widespread cultural…

Examines how the word "professionalization" is used within the social and political contexts in which teaching occurs, both historically and in current debates over educational reform. Argues that professionalization itself has no intrinsic meaning but is defined by the social, political, and economic relationships of a given society.…

This book, the final work of a noted rhetorician and scholar, examines the history and development of English studies, and the economic and social changes that affect the understanding of the humanities today. Noting that while rhetoric once held a central place in the college curriculum, the book describes how rhetoric became marginalized in…

Explores pedagogical reforms as effects of power. Contains two sections: the first examines turn-of-the-century practices to professionalize teachers and redefine pedagogy; the second focuses on the redemptive culture of contemporary reforms. Argues that contemporary educational sciences inscribe principles of order related to changes in the…

This book examines family traditions of over two centuries in the United States and finds a complicated process of change in the way Americans have celebrated holidays such as Christmas, Easter, Thanksgiving, Passover, and Chinese New Year as well as the life cycle rituals of birth, birthdays, coming of age, marriage, and death. The book notes…