Mind the audience: forensic rhetoric, persuasion, and identification by reference to the social identity of Athenian dikastai

Adamidis, V ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-6347-5327, 2024. Mind the audience: forensic rhetoric, persuasion, and identification by reference to the social identity of Athenian dikastai. Rhetorica, 42 (1), pp. 1-30. ISSN 0734-8584

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Abstract

This paper highlights the importance of an audience-centric approach in the study of Athenian forensic rhetoric and leverages insights from Social Identity Theory and Burke's concept of 'identification' to examine courtroom speeches. Litigants, perceiving the Athenian dikastai as a distinct group marked by a salient social identity, rhetorically employed the group's prototypes, norms, and interests to establish their identification—and underscore the opponent's division—with the audience. This prominent role of social identity and the potential for jury bias affecting the large audiences of dikastai prompt a reconsideration of the nature of Athenian trials and suggest that, in addition to upholding the law, Athenian courts functioned as platforms for the imposition of social and legal conformity.

Item Type:	Journal article
Publication Title:	Rhetorica
Creators:	Adamidis, V.
Publisher:	Johns Hopkins University Press
Date:	2024
Volume:	42
Number:	1
ISSN:	0734-8584
Identifiers:	Number Type 10.1353/rht.2024.a925230 DOI 1845787 Other
Rights:	© 2024 by The International Society for the History of Rhetoric.
Divisions:	Schools > Nottingham Law School
Record created by:	Laura Ward
Date Added:	22 Jan 2024 13:57
Last Modified:	10 Jun 2024 14:47
URI:	https://irep.ntu.ac.uk/id/eprint/50715

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