Constitutive walls: The U.S.-Mexico border fence and constructing identity

Abstract

The purpose of this thesis is to contribute to the growing literature of constitutive
rhetoric, originally coined by Maurice Charland. Through a case study of the US/Mexico border
fence, I illustrate that the communicative tactics of articulation, appropriation and image events
have the potential to act as interpellative strategies of identity construction. Through my analysis,
I show how these strategies function in constitutive rhetoric in both verbal discourses and in
visual rhetoric through image events. I also note that the lack of discourses in an argument may
have implications that are equally significant to those that are present.

Date of Award	2011
Original language	American English
Awarding Institution	Eastern Illinois University
Supervisor	Marita Gronnvoll (Supervisor)