The Nation as a Communicative Construct: Toward a Theory of Dialogic Nationalism

This project seeks to explore the subject of nation and nationalism in the context of rhetoric and the philosophy of communication. By exploring ancient tropes of nation through rhetorical figures such as Isocrates in Ancient Greece and Cicero in the Roman Republic; through Kant, the Enlightenment and modernity; and, through postmodern interpretations, I attempt to reconceptualize the nation as a communicative construct while pointing to what may lie ahead for the future. By applying Anderson's (2006) concept of "imagined communities" as an interpretative framework, the nation appears to be a more fluid, contingent space for communication that is grounded in ancient and Enlightenment ideals, but is perhaps reconfiguring in the face of postmodern complexity as advanced by scholars such as Appadurai (1996) and Smith (1979, 1983, 1995, 1998, 2008, 2010). The transition from antiquity and modernity to postmodernity is characterized by what I call a theory of "dialogic nationalism," which has roots in Martin Buber's understanding of dialogue (1988, 1996, 2002) and his writings on nationalism (2005). Dialogic nationalism may serve as an alternative hermeneutic for the nation within the postmodern moment. The experience of international students in the United States and the complex issue of immigration around the world are also explored as practical applications for dialogic nationalism.

Name thesis:degree_name

PhD

Level thesis:degree_level

Immediate Access

Discipline thesis:degree_discipline

Communication and Rhetorical Studies

Year dc:date.available

2014

Author dc:creator

• DeCrosta, Joseph T.

Contributors dc:contributor

• Janie H. Fritz
• Kathleen G. Roberts
• Ronald C. Arnett

• dialogic communication
• intercultural communication
• international communication
• nation
• nationalism
• postmodernity

Language dc:language

English

Repository record dc:identifier

https://dsc.duq.edu/etd/470

OAI identifier oai:identifier

oai:dsc.duq.edu:etd-1483