All of us at WILPF are rhetoricians working for peace! Building on our ongoing research into the rhetoric of peace and how to de-escalate public discourse, a small group, including individuals interested in the field of rhetoric, writing, and the English language, has revived an important communications group on Facebook: Rhetoricians for Peace II. This group was previously managed, I believe, by Professor Seth Kahn. Rhetoricians for Peace’s administrators retired the site in 2018.

This initiative aligns with WILPF US’ mission and may interest many, if not all, WILPF members!

Jane Addams, one of the founders of WILPF, was a rhetorical theorist. In her essays on public discourse, she explored concepts such as “rhetorical listening” and “sympathetic knowledge,” emphasizing the importance of personal experience. For Addams, the value of “knowing one another better” was essential for fostering cooperation.

We all become rhetoricians as we work for peace in our communities. We can learn from one another about effective communication and gain insights from those who have studied rhetoric and written and published about its history and practices. Inflammatory rhetoric aims to incite division and instill fear and hatred. In Rhetoricians for Peace II, we discuss how and when we are being manipulated by such rhetoric. We also uphold Jane Addams’s values of listening to each other and broadening our “circles of identification,” as suggested by Kenneth Burke.

We hope that our group’s efforts to raise awareness about the appeals of mass rhetoric will help people regain their autonomy. Specifically, we aim to explore ways to create time and space for contemplation regarding what we encounter in media and in-person, rather than being in a constant state of agitation each day. 

If you want to learn how to identify inflammatory rhetoric and communicate effectively for peace, please join Rhetoricians for Peace II on Facebook!