(Re)Articulating Difference: Constitutive Rhetoric, Christian Identity, and Discourses of Race as Biology

Abstract

Racist ideologies have dominated the discursive landscape of American Evangelism for centuries. Charland’s (1987) theory of constitutive rhetoric explores the relationship between rhetoric and ideological interpellation. Subsequent scholarship examined the outcomes of constitutive rhetorics in a wide variety of rhetorical situations. However, scholars have not exhausted theoretical extensions of the theory nor potential areas for its usage. In particular, scholars have regrettably overlooked potential insights from religious discourses. To compensate for this oversight, I analyze how a rhetor used constitutive rhetoric to resituate Christian identity into a more inclusive ideological framework, by dislocating connections between race and biology. My analysis advances three arguments on the nature of constitutive rhetoric, encourages sustained engagement by scholars with religious discourses, and draws attention to the complexities of (re)articulating a Christian voice on perceived racial differences. First, I argue that constitutive rhetoric’s suitability to a particular rhetorical situation depends on its ability to address multiple layers of social identity simultaneously as a means of negotiating and navigating tensions and conflicts between existing and emerging subject positions. Second, I highlight the potential for a rhetor to embody a constitutive rhetoric as a means of grounding ideology in lived experiences. Third, I demonstrate the power of constitutive rhetoric, especially religious discourses, to inscribe moral frameworks onto subjects. From this study, scholars will gain a better understanding of the interdiscursive relationship between subject positions, recognize the potential for a rhetor to embody a constitutive discourse, and gain a better grasp of the action-imperative of constitutive rhetoric. Finally, I conclude by charting future directions for the development of Charland’s theory.