Public Places: Sites of Political Communication

(Hardback)

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Description

This book rhetorically and historically examines the contextual and experiential dimensions of a wide range of public placesfrom memorials to stadiumsthat are rife with political implications. Fourteen public places ranging from the national to local, from 9/11 memorials to a baseball park are analyzed. The authors investigate the histories of these public spaces, examine their designs, and discuss their political implications in order to outline their role within the public sphere. This book begins with a loose theoretical framework for understanding public places as rhetorically drawn from extant scholarship, and concludes with a systematic means of exploring the allocation of power by public places. Recommended for scholars of communication studies, rhetoric, political science, and architecture.

Reviews

Hyden and Sheckels achieve their goal of "exploring fascinating places," with important implications for rhetorical analysis, historical understanding, and interdisciplinary connections. This insightful, informative, and enjoyable volume explores a bevy of politically significant sites, from 9/11 memorials to the PNC Park in Pittsburgh, from Chicago parks to the Johnstown flood, from Lincoln to Jim Thorpeand more. -- Kathleen J. Turner, past president, National Communication Association
Public Places: Sites of Political Communication is an excellent addition to the growing field of memory studies. Carl T. Hyden and Theodore F. Sheckels offer a valuable extension of the work accomplished by communication scholars of public memory sites by applying their thoughtful heuristic to an eclectic choice of locations. Their research offers approaches into understanding the politics (power relations) for each of their fourteen case studies and is appropriate for undergraduate and graduate students. -- Teresa Bergman, University of the Pacific
Public Places offers a refreshing look at the field of memory studies by exploring a diverse range of sites, many of which are receiving scholarly attention for the first time. Through their careful analysis, Hyden & Sheckels have made an invaluable contribution to the field of memory studies in general and to political communication in particular that will encourage scholarly attention to sites of memory for years to come. -- Todd A. Allen, Grove City College

Author Bio

Carl T. Hyden is associate dean of the School of Global Journalism and Communication at Morgan State University. Theodore F. Sheckels is professor of English and communication studies and chair of the Department of Communication Studies at Randolph-Macon College.