First published in 1999, this volume was offered as a response to an increasingly hostile and alienating political world and speaks for the vision of libertarian socialism (anarchism). Building upon James Arnt Aune's Rhetoric and Marxism and the author's The Rise of Rhetoric, this book differs by stressing the social over the communicative / theoretical. Omar Swartz presents a book of applied communication and advances social philosophy from a communication perspective rather than communication theory per se. It will find an audience amongst those in social and communication studies as well as the cultural studies movement, along with left-wing political parties.

This book features contemporary critical and Marxist theories of resistance, domination, knowledge, and systems of ideological control. It offers a balanced discussion of classical and modern theories of rhetoric, as well as critical theory.

"Social Justice and Communication Scholarship" explores the role of communication in framing and contributing to issues of social justice. This collection, a first on the subject of communication and social justice, investigates the theoretical and practical ways in which communication scholarship can enable inclusive and equitable communities within American society. It analyzes ways in which to construct communities that protect individual freedom while ensuring equality and dignity to everyone.
 
In this unique anthology, Swartz brings together both senior scholars and junior colleagues to represent diverse applications of communication to issues of social justice. He supports partisan scholarship in order to revitalize intellectual activity and social commitment toward creating a progressive society. As a result; the volume serves the heuristic function of posing new research questions.
 
In addition to its relevance within the field of communication, "Social Justice and Communication Scholarship" will be of interest in many of the humanities and social sciences, as research on the theme of social justice transcends disciplinary boundaries. The volume is particularly well suited for use in undergraduate and graduate courses in communication, rhetoric and composition, journalism, American studies, and cultural studies.

"Social Justice and Communication Scholarship" explores the role of communication in framing and contributing to issues of social justice. This collection, a first on the subject of communication and social justice, investigates the theoretical and practical ways in which communication scholarship can enable inclusive and equitable communities within American society. It analyzes ways in which to construct communities that protect individual freedom while ensuring equality and dignity to everyone.
 
In this unique anthology, Swartz brings together both senior scholars and junior colleagues to represent diverse applications of communication to issues of social justice. He supports partisan scholarship in order to revitalize intellectual activity and social commitment toward creating a progressive society. As a result; the volume serves the heuristic function of posing new research questions.
 
In addition to its relevance within the field of communication, "Social Justice and Communication Scholarship" will be of interest in many of the humanities and social sciences, as research on the theme of social justice transcends disciplinary boundaries. The volume is particularly well suited for use in undergraduate and graduate courses in communication, rhetoric and composition, journalism, American studies, and cultural studies.

This book features contemporary critical and Marxist theories of resistance, domination, knowledge, and systems of ideological control. It offers a balanced discussion of classical and modern theories of rhetoric, as well as critical theory.

First published in 1999, this volume was offered as a response to an increasingly hostile and alienating political world and speaks for the vision of libertarian socialism (anarchism). Building upon James Arnt Aune's Rhetoric and Marxism and the author's The Rise of Rhetoric, this book differs by stressing the social over the communicative / theoretical. Omar Swartz presents a book of applied communication and advances social philosophy from a communication perspective rather than communication theory per se. It will find an audience amongst those in social and communication studies as well as the cultural studies movement, along with left-wing political parties.

The provocative chapters making up this edited volume are drawn from a range of disciplines and are intended to help scholars, activists, students, and citizens in general to rethink commonly accepted notions of community in order to imagine new possibilities for social, political, and economic organization -- in short, new ways of imagining solidarity and citizenship with others, especially those who languish outside the range of our moral radar. They demonstrate that the political philosophy of John Dewey remains important and heuristic for understanding and advancing contemporary discourses of participatory and deliberative democracy -- what the contributors explore collectively as a "creative democracy." Graduate courses in communication, philosophy, rhetoric and composition, journalism, American studies, cultural studies, and many other areas in the humanities and social sciences can also draw on the historical, critical, and sociological aspects of the various chapters for debating the role of progressive social criticism in public life.

A graduate course in composition studies would make good use of the book because of the author's very careful and thorough comparison of composition studies and speech communication. . . . .The book does indeed make an important contribution to the field; if students speak or write, what should they speak or write about? Scholarship of Social Influence offers important suggestions for empowering students not just as speakers or writers, but as citizens as well. --Bill Bolin, Texas State University When human knowledge becomes historicized and socialized, the distinctions between our public, academic, and instructional personae fade. In place of such traditional personae, a new identity is encouraged for scholars in the field of communication. Scholarship of Social Influence redescribes our understanding of theory, criticism, and pedagogy with the vocabulary of neo-pragmatism and successfully argues that rhetorical scholars can assume a cultural importance in life. This ingenious volume describes where philosophy ends and application begins and will be well-received by researchers, upper-level students and professionals in rhetoric, communication studies, cultural studies, and sociology.

Through careful analysis of Jack Kerouac's "On the Road," Omar Swartz argues that Kerouac's influence on American society is largely rhetorical. Kerouac's significance as a cultural icon can be best understood, Swartz asserts, in terms of traditional rhetorical practices and principles. To Swartz, Kerouac is a rhetor who symbolically reconstructs his world and offers arguments and encouragements for others to follow. Swartz proposes that "On the Road "constitutes a "rhetorical vision," a reality-defining discourse suggesting alternative possibilities for growth and change. Swartz asserts that the reader of Kerouac's "On the"""Road""becomes capable of responding to the larger, confusing culture in a strategic manner. Kerouac's rhetorical vision of an alternative social and cultural reality contributes to the identity of localized cultures within the United States.