In Praise of Eloquent Diversity: Gender and Rhetoric as Public Persuasion

Gender dichotomy feminists have suggested that rhetoric, identified as public persuasion, is a patriarchal practice. This perspective rests on a faulty, essentialist understanding of identity and a failure to appreciate the inherently persuasive character of discourse. Gender diversity is offered as an alternative perspective that envisions gender and identity as mobile, multiple affiliations that are formed through discursive interactions. With such a vision of gender, public persuasion can be understood as a feminist art that enables collective action.