James E. Porter

Institutional Critique: A Rhetorical Methodology for Change

We offer institutional critique as an activist methodology for changing institutions. Since institutions are rhetorical entities, rhetoric can be deployed to change them. In its effort to counter oppressive institutional structures, the field of rhetoric and composition has focused its attention chiefly on the composition classroom, on the department of English, and on disciplinary forms of critique. Our focus shifts the scene of action and argument to professional writing and to public discourse, using spatial methods adapted from postmodern geography and critical theory.

“Remapping Curricular Geography”: A Retrospection

We are honored and gratified that Tom Kent has se “Remapping Curricular Geography” (1993) as h exemplary article published during his tenure as editor of ciate Tom’s support now, and we certainly appreciated it in hard to believe now, but back then Tom was taking a risk article because it collapsed business communication and t nication into professional writing, a concept that was not w the time. The article also regretted that professional writin by English studies and rhetoric/composition studies, a critic article the potential to alienate most of our traditional dis and, thus, to get us and the field into a bunch of trouble. W risk Tom took then, and we appreciate the opportunity now on the ideas of professional writing within the Department tutional structure and interdisciplinarity, professional writin nication department or college, and mapping as methodolo