The Rhetorical Uses of the Authorizing Figure: Fidel Castro and Jose Marti

by Donald Rice

Overview

One of the tools often used by a rhetor to motivate, solidify, and manage his constituency is the authorizing figure. While the referencing to historical figures is a common practice and frequently employed in the political realm, it takes on a special role in the inception, activation, and maintenance of social movements. This study analyzes the rhetorical uses of the authorizing figure during the Cuban revolution and Fidel Castro's use of Jose Marti, the civilian leader of the 1890s independence wars from Spain. Donald Rice discusses how the authorizing figure defines and unifies the emerging revolutionary movement, contributes to the application of the sanctioning authority of the state, and legitimizes the revolutionary vision over time.

These three uses provide the framework for the detailed analysis of Castro's discourse over the course of the revolution and its institutionalization, both representing and describing Castro's rehetorical strategy of using the past for present purposes. Chapter 1 is a discussion of the theoretical concepts of authority and authorization, which includes an explanation of the three-tiered approach used in the analysis. Chapter 2 gives a short history of Marti and a review of relevant Marti studies. Chapters 3, 4, and 5 contain the analyses of discourses relevant to Rice's established uses. Chapter 6, the concluding chapter, provides a synthesis of the preceding analyses and suggests areas of future research. These three uses provide the framework for the detailed analysis of Castro's discourse over the course of the revolution and its institutionalization, both representing and describing Castro's rhetorical strategy of using the past for present purposes.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780275942144
Publisher:	Bloomsbury Academic
Publication date:	06/16/1992
Pages:	192
Product dimensions:	6.14(w) x 9.21(h) x 0.50(d)

About the Author

DONALD E. RICE is Assistant Professor in the Department of Speech Communication at Concordia College, Moorhead, Minnesota. His teaching and research interests lie in rhetorical theory and criticism, as well as Latin American studies.

Table of Contents

Preface
Introduction
Authority and Types of Authorization
The Figure of Martí in Cuba
The Definition and Unification of a Revolutionary Movement
The Use of the Authorizing Figure to Sanction Controversial Actions and Political Interpretations
The Long-Term Legitimation of a Movement's Goals
Implications
Bibliography
Index