007 // What is demagoguery, and what role does it play in a democracy?
Featured speaker: Ryan Skinnell
Politicians who gain power by exploiting ignorance and prejudice and appealing to the lowest common denominator have a history dating back to ancient Greece. Why are they successful, what is our responsibility for bringing them into being, and how can they be countered? Is the current global backlash against experience and “elites” just a phase, or does it represent a longer-term shift in how democracies view their leaders?
Ryan is an Assistant Professor of Rhetoric & Composition in the Department of English at San José State University. His research focuses on histories of rhetoric and composition, particularly in American higher education, and public discourse in contemporary politics. He has written, edited, or co-edited five books, including Conceding Composition: A Crooked History of Composition’s Institutional Fortunes (2016) and Faking the News: What Rhetoric Can Teach Us About Donald J. Trump (2018).
Related readings and resources
This salon took place August 24, 2018.