Public Address Division

The Public Address Division takes as its mission the practice and the promotion of the study of a wide variety of rhetoric that addresses publics. Although the term “public address” evokes a rich history of the study of political and religious oratory, we welcome and include not only traditional studies of “great speakers and speeches,” but also work that focuses on rhetorical acts and artifacts from various cultures, nations, and media. The Public Address Division is one of NCA’S oldest and largest divisions. Scholarship in the division often leads to theoretical insight about the nature of public discourse at the same time as it enhances our understanding of particular discourses, rhetors, or social movements. Despite the variety of critical perspectives, members of the division share a concern for the relationship between “text” and “context,” the object of study and its scene.