DETWEILER, Eric, and WILLIAMS, Elizabeth McGhee

Winter 2019, 49.5, pages 566–582

A Living Rhetorical Enterprise: The RSA Oral History Initiative 

Abstract: This essay introduces the archive created by the Rhetoric Society of America (RSA)’s Oral History Initiative. The archive consists of 21 audio interviews recorded at the 2018 RSA conference, transcripts of those interviews, and miscellaneous supplementary materials. Recorded on the occasion of RSA’s fiftieth anniversary, the interviews feature long-time RSA members, past and present officers and board members, and those who were otherwise a part of key moments in the society’s history. The essay’s authors explore the contents of the interviews, emphasizing three key terms frequently invoked by the interviewees themselves: interdisciplinarity, intimacy, and inclusivity. The authors also provide instructions for accessing the archival materials and invite readers to make use of them.