The Rhetoric of Agitation and Control

Book excerpt: This compelling text is a careful examination of the rhetoric of dissent. The Rhetoric of Agitation and Control provides a framework for the study of agitation and responses to that agitation. The third edition offers a profile of past and current movements, such as the street theatre of Chicago in 1968 and the innovative and technological rhetorical techniques found in the "Battle in Seattle." The modus operandi of todays protests continues to evolve from that of the 1960s and 1970s. As smartphones and the Internet replace tie-dyed shirts and flower power, contemporary students and scholars alike will find this edition of The Rhetoric of Agitation and Control to be a helpful tool in studying the progression of social and protest movements.