Rhetorical Togetherness: Bridging Cultures Through Ideological Co-existence

Event Overview:
How do we engage in cross-cultural communication when nationalism, racism, and extremism are on the rise? How can we cross the boundary lines between cultures and find common ground without resorting to stereotypes or universal impulses? What are our answers to such perennial binaries as East and West, ancient and modern, accommodation and acculturation, and assimilation and appropriation?
Dr. LuMing Mao will explore these pressing questions using the concept of rhetorical togetherness to illustrate cross-cultural encounters in early modernity, challenge hierarchical and exclusionary forms of binary logic, and develop strategies for meaningful dialogues in the 21st century.

Speaker Bio:
Dr. LuMing Mao is a Professor in the Department of Writing & Rhetoric Studies and Faculty Affiliate in the Asia Center at the University of Utah. He is a distinguished scholar and author, including Reading Chinese Fortune Cookie: The Making of Chinese American Rhetoric and Comparative Rhetoric: Traversing Rhetorical Times, Places, and Spaces. His forthcoming works include The Cambridge History of Rhetoric, Vol 5 and The Norton Anthology of Rhetoric and Writing. Dr. Mao has been recognized as a 2015 Distinguished Scholar at Miami University and the 2017 Thomas R. Watson Distinguished Visiting Professor at the University of Louisville.

This event is supported by the Duke Faculty Advancement Seed Grant program.

Light Asian refreshments will be provided to enhance your experience.
We look forward to welcoming you to this thought-provoking event.