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A Rhetorical Analysis of the Resistance Rhetoric of Judy Bonds Alex K

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A Rhetorical Analysis of the Resistance Rhetoric of Judy Bonds Alex K James Madison University JMU Scholarly Commons Masters Theses The Graduate School Spring 2015 Place, space, and family: A rhetorical analysis of the resistance rhetoric of Judy Bonds Alex K. Davenport James Madison University Follow this and additional works at: https://commons.lib.jmu.edu/master201019 Part of the Critical and Cultural Studies Commons, Social Influence and Political Communication Commons, and the Speech and Rhetorical Studies Commons Recommended Citation Davenport, Alex K., "Place, space, and family: A rhetorical analysis of the resistance rhetoric of Judy Bonds" (2015). Masters Theses. 25. https://commons.lib.jmu.edu/master201019/25 This Thesis is brought to you for free and open access by the The Graduate School at JMU Scholarly Commons. It has been accepted for inclusion in Masters Theses by an authorized administrator of JMU Scholarly Commons. For more information, please contact [email protected]. Place, Space, and Family: A rhetorical analysis of the resistance rhetoric of Judy Bonds Alex Davenport A thesis submitted to the Graduate Faculty of JAMES MADISON UNIVERSITY In Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements for the degree of Master of the Arts Communication & Advocacy May 2015 DEDICATION This thesis is dedicated to everyone fighting for a more just Appalachia, and all those fighting for a more socially and environmentally just world. But most especially this work is dedicated to Judy Bonds, you were and are an inspiration to others and myself; rest in peace and power. ii ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS I wish to thank my friends — particularly my cohort members — and family, you have helped me through this process with love and support. Thank you, also, to my committee members Dr. Heather Carmack and Dr. Pete Bsumek, your guidance and counsel has helped this thesis become what it is today. Finally, Dr. Alison Bodkin, my advisor. Thank you both for guiding me in this process, and for teaching me an exceptional amount both academically and personally; especially that the things that scare us are also the things we should explore the most. iii TABLE OF CONTENTS Dedication …………… ..................................................................................................... ii Acknowledgements …… ................................................................................................... iii Abstract ……………… ..................................................................................................... vi Chapter 1 …………… .........................................................................................................1 Introduction …. ........................................................................................................1 Approaching the Text, Approaching Myself ..........................................................5 A Theoretical Turn ......................................................................................6 Finding Significance ...............................................................................................9 Moving Forward ...................................................................................................12 Chapter 2 …………… .......................................................................................................14 Towards a Qualitative Rhetoric ............................................................................14 Method ………. .....................................................................................................15 The Constant Comparative Method ..........................................................15 Ideological Criticism .................................................................................18 Theoretical Considerations ...................................................................................20 The Forgotten Place and the Subaltern Voice ...........................................21 Re-Membering/Re-Collecting through Narrative .....................................24 Circulating Fragments ...............................................................................28 Examined (Inter)Texts ..........................................................................................29 Into the Texts ........................................................................................................32 Chapter 3 ……………. ......................................................................................................33 The Place of Appalachia .......................................................................................34 A Hug From God ......................................................................................35 God Made Mountaineers ...........................................................................38 Land and identity ..........................................................................38 A unique co-creation .....................................................................41 The Space of Appalachia ......................................................................................44 Save the Endangered Hillbilly ..................................................................45 Negotiating Memory .................................................................................46 Effects of MTR …. ................................................................................................49 Destruction of the Land ............................................................................50 Displacement of People ............................................................................51 Acknowledging history .................................................................52 Examining displacement ...............................................................53 Innocence lost ...............................................................................55 Driving Action ..........................................................................................56 Chapter 4 ……………. ......................................................................................................58 What We Have Buried ..........................................................................................59 iv Preparing to Dig ....................................................................................................61 Tumbling In … ......................................................................................................62 The (Militant) Mother … ...........................................................................63 Save the baby humans ...................................................................64 A Place to Call Home ...............................................................................69 Establishing a Lineage ..............................................................................71 Returning to the Mother ........................................................................................74 Remembering the Dead .........................................................................................75 Chapter 5 …………… .......................................................................................................79 The Intersection of Space, Place, and Family .......................................................80 Appalachian Place .....................................................................................80 Bridging Place and Space .........................................................................81 Negotiating Space .....................................................................................82 Family .......................................................................................................82 Areas for Further Research ...................................................................................83 Constructing an Archive, Curating a Collection .......................................83 The Cyborg and Assemblage ....................................................................84 Echoes of Utopia .......................................................................................86 Performances of Memorialization .............................................................87 Constructing a Quilt ..............................................................................................88 Coda ………… ......................................................................................................89 References …………… .....................................................................................................91 v ABSTRACT This thesis examines the ways that rhetorics of resistance can operate in contemporary social conditions. I do this specifically by examining the rhetoric of Judy Bonds, an environmental justice activist who opposed mountaintop removal (MTR) mining in Appalachia. I utilize a qualitative rhetorical approach to examine 34 instances of Bonds’ discourse as well as my own autoethnographic reflections focused on my work with Mountain Justice, a regional anti-MTR activist organization. Pairing the constant comparative method with principles of ideological criticism, informed by theories of place, voice, memory, and narrative, forms this qualitative rhetorical approach. The postmodern turn allows for the multiple, unique, instances of rhetoric to be viewed as fragments of discourse. That is to say that, while each instance of rhetoric is evaluated as having unique properties, the postmodern turn allows for overarching themes and discourses to emerge. Bonds’ rhetoric reveals a unique use
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