ABSTRACT

In the mainstream scholarship and pedagogy of rhetoric in the West, the dominant Greco-Roman-Anglo-Roman tradition is typically viewed as universal, rather than as one of many traditions around the world. While the resulting marginalization is typically not intentional, the dynamics of knowledge and interest lead to, in effect, resistance and rejection of other traditions. This chapter describes a multi-pronged approach, focusing on teaching, for addressing the dynamics. First, highlighting a number of benefits that an education in world rhetorics can have - including educational (knowledge about the larger world), epistemological (enhanced ability to create new knowledge), socio-cultural (ability to connect with broader society and diverse cultures), political (leadership and global citizenship), and professional (career opportunities and success) - it urges educators to promote diverse “world rhetorics,” discussing ways to do so among different stakeholders in the university and society; it advocates a new kind of education that embraces and advances multiple rhetorical traditions and systems of knowledge. Second, it illustrates how practitioners can develop increasingly effective pedagogies to educate and inspire more students and include more teachers about diverse rhetorical traditions. And, finally, it describes ways to address the dynamics of marginalization through scholarship and research to support a broader, more diverse rhetorical education.