Re(Defining) American: Intersectionality and Coalition Building in Jose Antonio Vargas's Postcolonial Rhetoric

THE IMMIGRATION HISTORY RESEARCH CENTER is hosting Svilen Trifonov for his talk “(Re)Defining American: Intersectionality and Coalition Building in Jose Antonio Vargas’s Postcolonial Rhetoric” on Wednesday, January 31 from 12:00 PM – 1:00 PM in Elmer L. Andersen Library Room 308. For more information, see below.

Global Race, Ethnicity, & Migration Series Please Join Us ! Svilen Trifonov Doctoral Canidate  Department of Communication Studies University of Minnesota.  "(Re)Defining American: Intersectionality and Coalition Building in Jose Antonio Vargas's Postcolonial Rhetoric" Wednesday, January 31, 2018 12:00 PM - 1:00 PM 308 Elmer L. Andersen Library In my analysis of Jose Antonio Vargas's keynote address at the 2016 National High School Journalism Convention I identify three rhetorically distinct themes. First, I discuss how Vargas develops a rhetorical persona that allows him to illustrate the compromised sociopolitical position of undocumented immigrants through the inclusive-exclusion in in the gap between the U.S. nation's conflicting attitudes of xenophilia and xenophobia. Second, I discuss his criticism of the discursive regime of migrant "legality" and "illegality" as a framework that obscures the racialized norms of U.S. immigration policy driven by whiteness as the strategic rhetoric of U.S. citizenship. Finally, I examine how Vargas rhetorically constructs an image of his ideal audience as one that adopts an intersectional approach to U.S. identity politics and one that helps decolonize and fragment normative discourses of being "American." Asking his listeners to realize their coalitional potential by engaging in conversations about race, culture, and identity Vargas invites them to recognize the shifting demographics of modern-day United States, and to form coalitions that reach across racial divides. Svilen V. Trifonov is a PhD candidate in Communication Studies. He identifies as a scholar of rhetoric whose interest lies in questions about citizenship, race, class, and culture. His dissertation examines the rhetoric of prominent immigrant rights activists in the United States in the early 21st century, focusing on their use of personal narratives to resist dominant public and media portrayals of undocumented immigrants as "illegals." Svilen has formal training in rhetorical criticism, the rhetoric of social movements, and U.S. immigration history. Svilen has been the instructor of record for courses in rhetorical criticism, public speaking, persuasive speaking and speech writing, and crisis communication. As a teacher, he is committed to help students become better communicators and engaged citizens in an increasingly diverse world. Svilen is scheduled to defend his dissertation in Spring 2018. This event is free and open to the public. Feel free to bring a bag lunch. When Wednesday,  January 31 2018 12:00 PM -1:00 PM Where University of Minnesota 308 Elmer L. Andersen Library What Global REM Svilen Trifonov View More Info Upcoming GREM "Family, Citizenship, and Transnational Community: Chinese Immigration during Costa Rica's Era of Exclusion" Benjamin Narvaez Assistant Professor of History and Chair of the Latin American Area Studies major University of Minnesota, Morris Sponsors Immigration History Research Center   Stay Connected