Identity's Strategy

"Dana Anderson gets identity. And with this book he gives identity a critical place in rhetorical studies. Cinched to Kenneth Burke's theory of constitutions, the book's four case studies in conversion are as gripping as they are revealing. The payoff here is much more than an elegant argument about how identity matters or an expert reading of Burke (though it is certainly both of these). Identity's Strategy theorizes anew a whole cluster of concepts—agency, agonism, belief, ethos, and, importantly, transformation—the very stuff of rhetoric."—Debra Hawhee, author of Bodily Arts: Rhetoric and Athletics in Ancient Greece

"Successfully drawing on critical theory and the ideas of Kenneth Burke, Dana Anderson strikes new ground concerning the idea that 'identity' is a complex act of rhetorical constitution. Intriguing theoretical chapters and illuminating case studies explore aspects of identity heretofore understood only dimly. Moreover, Anderson indicates important paths that fans of Burke ought to follow with vigor. Identity's Strategy is persuasive and thoroughly engaging."—Ross Wolin, author of The Rhetorical Imagination of Kenneth Burke