Promotions - Choice's Outstanding Academic Titles 2025 -

Rupturing Rhetoric is a timely and incisive exploration of race, media, and the shifting cultural landscape of post-Ferguson America. Contributors to this edited volume examine the rhetoric and representation of race in popular culture in the years following the 2014 killing of Michael Brown, an event that shattered America's "post-racial," color-blind fantasy. Prior to this event, many Americans believed that the US had achieved racial equity and that race no longer was a major factor in American society, a belief solidified by the election of President Barack Obama. Through close readings of key texts and examinations of popular culture--ranging from Hamilton and Fresh off the Boat to Lovecraft Country and BlacKkKlansman--contributors analyze how media and rhetoric both challenge and reinforce this flawed ideology. Each chapter is rigorously researched and contains thorough citations, with many featuring additional notes and photographs. The authors offer critical insights into how American culture continues to grapple with race and its ongoing relevance public discourse and society. Rupturing Rhetoric is an essential for scholars and general readers alike. It should be required reading for anyone who believes that race is no longer of importance in American society.Summing Up: Essential. All readership levels.