Race, Rhetoric, and the Postcolonial

"This book defines links between postcolonial theory and U.S. multiculturalism. The particulars and differences within African American and Chicano/Latino/Hispanic cultures and identities are elegantly illustrated and cogently debated. Ties between multiculturalism and postcolonial theory are linked at many points to concepts of composition and rhetoric—'writing' and 'self'—in diverse, sometimes surprising, nearly always illuminating ways. It offers much food for thought, further discussion, and debate." — C. Jan Swearingen, University of Texas at Arlington

"I learned a lot from this book about the complexities of postcolonial theories, and about how those theories intersect with issues of composition and rhetoric. I enjoyed the progression from Homi Bhabha's poststructuralist understanding of postcolonialism through U.S. Latina and African American writers (Anzaldúa, Dyson) and out to the British/Caribbean context that Laclau, Mouffe, and Stuart Hall inflect in such different ways. This book provides an accessible introduction to issues which are connected to the daily concerns of writing teachers in important, but not obvious ways. Reading these interviews helps to illuminate those connections." — Susan Wells, Temple University

"In the postcolonial era when the English language is no longer confined to imperialistic contexts, this book is a step toward the democratization of language across cultures. The classical definition of rhetoric as the art of persuasion does not change here, but this book points out the need for contextual considerations and sensitivity to cultural nuances." — Mabel Khawaja, Hampton University