In order to focus more on sovereignty and to avoid Indian stereotypes in our teaching and research, Lyons suggest that “we begin by prioritizing the study of American Indian rhetoric – and the rhetoric of the Indian – in our graduate curricula and writing programs…we should be teaching the treaties and federal Indian laws as rhetorical texts themselves, situations our work within both historical and contemporary contexts” (464). These should be read “alongside the histories, rhetorics, and struggles of African-American and other ‘racial’ groups or ethnic groups, women, sexual minorities, the disabled, and still others, locating history and writing instruction in the powerful context of American rhetorical struggle” (465).
Key Words
- Rhetorical sovereignty: “the inherent right and ability of peoples to determine their own communicative needs and desires in this pursuit, to decide for themselves the goals, modes, styles, and languages of public discourses” (449-50).
- Rhetorical imperialism: “the ability of dominant powers to assert control of others by setting the terms of debate. These terms are often definitional – that is, they identify the parties discussed by describing them in certain ways” (452)