Graduate Program
Communication Studies
Degree Name
Master of Arts (MA)
Semester of Degree Completion
2012
Thesis Director
T. M. Linda Scholz
Thesis Committee Member
Elizabeth Gill
Thesis Committee Member
Jeannie Ludlow
Abstract
US and Western European discourses tend to articulate women in the developing world within a Western context, perpetuating the image of women of the developing world as "third world" silent victims. Testimonies are a powerful medium for indigenous peoples to advocate for change and define experiences for themselves as well as for their communities (Smith, 2008). In this thesis, I draw on postcolonial feminist theories, theories on testimonio, vernacular rhetoric, and rhetorical agency to frame an analysis of multiple artifacts wherein Congolese women are shown speaking glimpses of their testimonies about the rape they endured. Other artifacts show women holding an international audience accountable for their political complicity. Although these artifacts are intended to circulate to an international audience and position the women as victims, they nonetheless show Congolese women as speaking subjects who discursively challenge the silencing effects that rape as a weapon of war can have in women in the DR Congo. This analysis provides insight into the implications of Congolese women's enactment of rhetorical agency while arguing that the academic conversation about rhetorical agency should include agents from developing worlds.
Recommended Citation
Knotts, Saunnie Elizabeth, "Spaces of marginalization [equal] margins of resistance: Congolese women's testimonies facilitate rhetorical agency" (2012). Masters Theses. 764.
https://thekeep.eiu.edu/theses/764
