Feminist rhetorical criticism recognizes that the symbolic construction of women and gender is central to the study of communication. When critics select a feminist critical approach, their goal is to explore and explain that construction. Feminist rhetorical criticism is grounded in the assumption that, historically and currently, women and men often have different access to channels and positions of power. Because this differential access can affect the communication styles and strategies used by women, feminist criticism is used to understand, validate, and theorize about those communicative differences. As a critical tool or approach, feminist rhetorical criticism helps scholars explain how communication is used to constrain and/or enable women, how communication is used to resist those constraints and facilitate empowerment, and how communication is used to create nonoppressive identities and ways of being. Because feminist rhetorical criticism is an approach to the study of communication that informs every aspect of a scholar’s critical process, this entry will describe the political nature of feminist rhetorical criticism and explain the methodologies, texts, and stances taken by feminist critics.

Littlejohn, Stephen W and Karen A.Floss. (2009). Encyclopedia of Communication Theory.USA:SAGE.654

Penanggungjawab naskah :

Gayes Mahestu
Edwina Ayu Kustiawan