Carl T. Hyden

The Rhetoric of Public Places examines the communicative aspects of physical spaces that contribute to public memory and activity. It explores how these places, ranging from memorials to sites of commerce, engage with and shape public discourse. The book envisions such sites not merely as background settings but as active, rhetorical entities that resonate with symbolic significance and invite nuanced interpretations. Structured into three sections, the book begins by presenting theories and methodologies of rhetorical critique, outlining how spaces act as texts with persuasive elements. The subsequent part explores places of public memory, such as war memorials and sites representing civil rights movements, examining how these spaces convey messages and reflect collective memories. The book closes with a discussion on places of public activity, including recreational sites and transportation hubs, shedding light on their roles in shaping societal narratives and the everyday experiences of individuals. Encouraging students to both better understand and critique the implicit messages embedded in public spaces, The Rhetoric of Public Places is an exemplary text for courses in communication studies, cultural geography, public history, and urban planning.

Political Problems and Personalities in Contemporary Maryland provides a comprehensive rhetorical analysis of contemporary politics and political communication in Maryland at both the state and local levels. Theodore F. Sheckels and Carl Hyden approach rhetoric in a broader sense, arguing that actions by political players – including decisions on housing policy, urban redevelopment policy, and transportation policy—are not in a separate category from their messages. In many cases, they argue, actions are messages, often with important material consequences. Rather than focusing solely on previous or upcoming elections, as political communication has traditionally been examined, Sheckels and Hyden give considerable space to non-election topics, responding to current shifts in political communication scholarship and encouraging others to examine political communication at the local and state levels elsewhere in the United States. Scholars of communication, political science, rhetoric, and history will find this book of particular interest.

This book rhetorically and historically examines the contextual and experiential dimensions of a wide range of public places—from memorials to stadiums—that are rife with political implications. Fourteen public places ranging from the national to local, from 9/11 memorials to a baseball park are analyzed. The authors investigate the histories of these public spaces, examine their designs, and discuss their political implications in order to outline their role within the public sphere. This book begins with a loose theoretical framework for understanding public places as rhetorically drawn from extant scholarship, and concludes with a systematic means of exploring the allocation of power by public places. Recommended for scholars of communication studies, rhetoric, political science, and architecture.