IRW 2016 in Uppsala

“You know how it goes: the previous presenter runs late and you have to run through your paper, and then at the Q&A you get two questions and one was not even related to your talk. It seems like a lot of effort to go to a conference for that kind of feedback.”

Frida, sometime in November 2014

That statement was the beginning of IRW. We were discussing the general state of rhetoric in academia and how hard it is to meet and actually engage with scholars from around the world.  Then Frida voiced her concern that, even if you do go to international events, it often does not quite deliver–and usually the best development for your research happens over dinner or at the bar. So, even though we are big fans of conference food and drink, we decided to develop an event where the key features are engaged dialogue and the development of research. This means no more sprint readings of papers, no more wasted Q&A, and a lot more time for discussion with others who share similar scholarly interests.

As we worked to establish the IRW over the past year, we’ve had our sights set on offering a different kind of conference: a workshop where young scholars (PhDs and recently dissertated) get the chance to have their work closely read by 4-5 other young scholars and one established faculty member with similar interests. This comes with the extra bonus of getting the opportunity to read other young scholar’s work, participate in panel discussions and development sessions, and hearing some amazing lectures by distinguished keynotes.

One additional, central feature of IRW is that it offers an international meeting place with rotating host universities. If the study of rhetoric is to continue to extend its global reach, an international network of graduate students and emerging scholars should be a central site for this work. The IRW thus provides an opportunity to connect scholars worldwide to pursue how this globalization–along with the globalization of many other commercial, cultural, and political practices–might transform the study of rhetoric.

IRW has already received significant international interest. Besides invited faculty from eight different countries, the workshop has applicants from China, USA, Brazil, Germany, Iran, UK, Argentina, Ghana, the Netherlands, Israel, Denmark, Croatia, Namibia and Qatar, to mention a few. We are thrilled to see this development and hope that more scholars will join us as IRW gathers momentum.

With the promise of a different type of conference, in which each scholar’s work becomes part of the general conversation,

Frida, Erik, Rob and Dave