The Great Plains and the Available Means of Regionalism
Open Access
- Author:
- Tellmann, Bryce
- Graduate Program:
- Communication Arts and Sciences
- Degree:
- Doctor of Philosophy
- Document Type:
- Dissertation
- Date of Defense:
- June 10, 2021
- Committee Members:
- Michele Kennerly, Major Field Member
Jeremy Engels, Chair & Dissertation Advisor
Laszlo Kulcsar, Outside Unit & Field Member
Stephen Browne, Major Field Member
Andrew High, Program Head/Chair - Keywords:
- rhetoric
regionalism
Great Plains
place
region - Abstract:
- This dissertation analyzes the rhetoric of regionalism, specifically with regard to the Great Plains region of North America. While rhetorical scholars have observed that regions are strategic discursive creations, subject to contention and revision, there has been little sustained inquiry into how the rhetoric of regionalism operates. I examine three major case studies of attempts to articulate new visions of the Great Plains throughout the 20th century in order to identify and explain the “available means of regionalism,” or the rhetorical methods by which these rhetors articulate a Great Plains region, and what kinds of claims those articulations enable as a result. Analysis of The Future of the Great Plains, the debate over a Missouri Valley Authority, and Frank and Deborah Poppers’ “Buffalo Commons” regional metaphor shows how different voices have articulated the Great Plains across temporal, spatial, and metaphoric dimensions. The identification of these means shows the rhetorical power of regional articulations, and the importance of continued attention to regionalism. For the Great Plains in particular, my analysis suggests that the region may be a useful rhetorical frame to identify shared challenges, but that it may not be capable of addressing them.