The purpose of this book is to move our field's discussion beyond issues of diversity in the practice of technical communication, which is certainly important, to include discussions of how race and ethnicity inform the production and distribution of technical communication in the United States. Equally important, this book is an attempt to uncover those communicative practices used to adversely affect historically marginalized groups and identify new practices that can be used to encourage cultural competence within institutions and communities. This book, like our field, is an interdisciplinary effort. While all authors have taught or practiced technical communication, their backgrounds include studies in technical communication, rhetoric and composition, creative writing, and higher education. For the sake of clarity, the book is organized into five sections: historical representations of race and ethnicity in health and science communication; social justice and activism in technical communication; considerations of race and ethnicity in social media; users' right to their own language; and communicating identity across borders, cultures, and disciplines.Intended Audience: Graduate students, professors, and practitioners in technical communication, rhetoric and composition, and other areas of English studies.
This book moves the discussion of technical communication beyond issues of diversity in practice to include discussions of how race and ethnicity inform the production and distribution of technical communication in the United States.
Technical communicators, write the editors, "lag behind [ their] colleagues in other areas of English studies (literature, rhetoric and composition, and creative writing) in finding ways to wrestle with two core elements of American identity--race and ethnicity." The focus of the 10 chapters they present moves beyond the simple question of diversity in the field to discussions of how race and ethnicity inform the production and distribution of technical communication in the United States, the ways in which communicative practices can negatively impact historically marginalized groups, and new practices that can be used to encourage cultural competence within institutions and companies. The papers are organized into sections devoted to: historical representations of race and nationality in health and science communication; social justice and activism in technical communication; contemporary representations of race and ethnicity on social networking sites; reporting technical communication at historically black colleges and universities; users' rights to their own language; and communicating identity across borders, cultures, and disciplines. Annotation ©2014 Ringgold, Inc., Portland, OR (protoview.com)
