Episodes in the rhetoric of government-Indian relations /

Schuetz (communications, Univ. of New Mexico) has applied her demonstrated expertise in the study of rhetoric to a variety of documents to provide a "rhetorical ancestry" to the history of government Indian relations. She writes that "unlike a typical historical study that reconstructs all of the facts and then reports events in narrative form, the focus of the subsequent chapters is on the rhetorical record of Indian and government spokespersons." Using a variety of documents, including treaties, letters, oral histories, speeches, media reports, political hearings, and legal proceedings, Schuetz examines the language in these records that influences audiences. In 11 chapters or case studies that span the last half of the 19th to the present century, she focuses on the persuasive strategies of both government and Indian leaders to illustrate how government and Indian spokespersons constitute and define issues; create, prolong, in some cases manage conflict; and silence and empower the voices of government leaders and Indian officials. This book illuminates a rhetorical legacy that evolved in the personal, political, and legal discourse of those who participated in the episodes. All levels and collections. L. Graves South Plains College