Rethinking Ethos: A Feminist Ecological Approach to Rhetoric

Studies in Rhetorics and Feminisms

by Kathleen J. Ryan (Editor), Risa Applegarth (Contributor), Sean Barnette (Contributor)

Labels traditionally ascribed to women—mother, angel of the house, whore, or bitch—suggest character traits that do not encompass the complexities of women’s identities or empower women’s public speaking. Rethinking A Feminist Ecological Approach to Rhetoric redefines the concept of ethos—classically thought of as character or credibility—as ecological and feminist, negotiated and renegotiated, and implicated in shifting power dynamics. Building on previous feminist and rhetorical scholarship, this essay collection presents a sustained discussion of the unique methods by which women’s ethos is constructed and transformed.

Editors Kathleen J. Ryan, Nancy Myers, and Rebecca Jones identify three rhetorical maneuvers that characterize ethos in the feminist ecological ethe as interruption/interrupting, ethe as advocacy/advocating, and ethe as relation/relating. Each section of the book explores one of these rhetorical maneuvers. An afterword gathers contributors’ thoughts on the collection’s potential impact and influence, possibilities for future scholarship, and the future of feminist rhetorical studies.

With its rich mix of historical examples and contemporary case studies, Rethinking Ethos offers a range of new perspectives, including queer theory, transnational approaches, radical feminism, Chicana feminism, and indigenous points of view, from which to consider a feminist approach to ethos. 

Genres: Feminism

320 pages, Paperback

First published June 3, 2015

Reviews

[Emmy M · Rating 4 out of 5]

I read most of the chs of this book for a paper I'm writing. I deeply appreciate the fact that each chapter did not go heavy on Aristotle (huge win).

Solid reconstruction of ethos, I liked how each chapter offered a differing oerspective on ethos so now scholars can pull from a different perspective.