The theory and practice of deliberative criticism: rhetoric, digital archives, new media, and public policy deliberation

This purpose of this dissertation is to provide critics with an answer to the information quality deficit dilemma that impedes civic discourse. Political deliberation in the wake of September 11 demonstrates the severity of this purpose. The theory of deliberative criticism proposed in this dissertation provides a theoretical foundation for critics interested in facilitating the credibility of public policy for a public audience. It arises from the rich tradition of democratic political theory and its vital relationship to civic discourse. Deliberative criticism responds to a disciplinary need for rhetorical critics to provide theoretical and methodological frameworks that can be incorporated by other disciplines interested in political deliberation. By rehabilitating the activist turn in rhetorical theory, it also affirms the importance of history and its immediate relevance to contemporary political policy. Developing a method for engaging digital archives is the proposed solution to the problem of how academics can respond to the information quality deficit dilemma. Reincorporating the deliberative function of the archive through an exploration of new media technologies provides critics with the opportunity to achieve involvement, influence, and immediacy within civic discourse. Deliberative criticism of digital archives and its application of thematic analysis, rhetorical context;ualization, and precautions for determining source credibility achieve this purpose. Enacting deliberative criticism as an analytical tool for engaging digital archives improves the credibility of information made available in public policy deliberation. The dissertation's case study focuses on the U.S.-Afghan policy debate, which is the biggest foreign policy problem that President Obama's 2009-2012 administration faces, to show the application and effectiveness of deliberative criticism. It illustrates this point, while also illustrating how the deliberative criticism of U.S. foreign policy knowledge construction can be used to identify and discuss political arguments and text;ual silences the American public needs to be aware of in 2011's present and most pressing military engagement. This example of deliberative criticism provides the reader with an up-to-date credible policy analysis regarding U.S.-Afghan policy, as well as the historical factors that provided the impetus for U.S. involvement.