Postmodernism in Intercultural Rhetoric: Problematizing the Deconstruction of an Academic Discipline

doi:10.65961/AJELT-2008-1-007

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Asian Journal of English Language Teaching ›› 2008, Vol. 18 ›› Issue (1) : 123-142. DOI: 10.65961/AJELT-2008-1-007

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Postmodernism in Intercultural Rhetoric: Problematizing the Deconstruction of an Academic Discipline

Deron WALKER

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This paper addresses a glaring problem in intercultural rhetorical studies. Many well-intentioned postmodernist scholars have attempted to protect international students from potentially harmful, deterministic stereotypes formed about their rhetorical styles and cultures. However, critics' overzealous deconstructions of benign generalizations in intercultural rhetoric have had a chilling effect on the field in terms of pedagogy and scholarship. A substantial body of research indicates the need for intercultural-oriented rhetorical instruction in ESL/EFL composition classrooms that could better prepare East-Asian students to write academic essays in English. This paper will argue that excesses in deconstructionist criticism have profoundly inhibited the development of this field of study.

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Deron WALKER. (2008). Postmodernism in Intercultural Rhetoric: Problematizing the Deconstruction of an Academic Discipline.Asian Journal of English Language Teaching , 18(1): 123-142. https://doi.org/10.65961/AJELT-2008-1-007

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