Vernacular Voices

"This diverting, timely study of what it means to have a voice in civil society and how it is achieved offers new conceptions of complex public spheres. . . This title would be apt to use as a textbook, given its wisdom, orderly and clear presentation, and interdisciplinary approach."—Choice Reviews

"Gerard Hauser's Vernacular Voices is an ambitious, wide-ranging, and thought-provoking theoretical discussion of public opinion and the public sphere. Hauser rightly disputes the "authority" we grant to opinion polls, and he aspires to develop a "rhetorical" alternative for discovering and communicating public opinion."—Argumentation and Advocacy

"And insisting upon seeing vernacular exchanges as important forms of political discourse is part and parcel of Hauser's very useful project of shifting attention away from a non-existent public sphere to the real publics in which people spend much of their lives. That project is useful for a variety of reasons, but one of the most striking is that it provides a much more hopeful view of political discourse in democracy."—Rhetoric Society Quarterly

"As we leave a century that has seen Vox Populi deified, only to be profaned and then abandoned, Hauser's bold study could not have appeared at a better time. In Yugoslavia, and Poland, Roosevelt's 1940 campaign, and modern disputes about pornography, Hauser finds evidence that public voices are capable of resilience and even eloquence. Vernacular Voices is an inspired and inspiring work."—Tom Farrell, Northwestern University

"The study of public deliberation has been hindered by an unnecessary division of labor between political theorists and those who study what people actually say. Gerard Hauser shows how much can be gained by joining theoretical argument and the analysis of persuasive discourse. His thoughtful discussion of the vernacular practices and dramatic events of public life reveals how democracy works because it is more complicated, interactive, and provisional than reason alone would allow."—Robert Hariman, Drake University

Winner of the 2000 Marie Hochmuth Nichols Prize, Public Address Division of the National Communication Association