Rutvi Savaliya
ENGL102 Critical Writing and Research Spring 2025
Rhetoric of the Cultural Border
04/08/25
Rhetoric of the Cultural Border
The author Iris D. Chang examines conventional cultural border terminology in "Re-
examining the Rhetoric of the Cultural Border" because she believes these easy models mask the
complicated ambivalence of identity development in multicultural societies. Chang develops her
argument through interdisciplinary research between cultural studies and rhetoric to show how
cultural identity remains in a state of negotiation and renegotiation within specific contextual
circumstances. The author challenges the traditional binary method of understanding cultural
boundaries because it presents them as homogenous group divisions, and she advocates for a
dynamic and complex model that includes hybrid identities and power dynamics from cultural
interactions.
Academic scholars frequently praise cultural hybridity while neglecting to address the
historical and material inequalities shaping intercultural interactions. Chang focuses on rhetorical
agency and positionality in cultural identity discussions by demonstrating that people need to
balance their position between various cultures and the social structures that build those cultures.
Through her proposal to transform the "cultural border" from a dividing line into a negotiating
space, Chang establishes an empowering framework that suits globalization and migration
contexts. The result is a more critical and empowering way to handle cultural interactions.
ENGL102 Critical Writing and Research Spring 2025
Rhetoric of the Cultural Border
04/08/25
Rhetoric of the Cultural Border
The author Iris D. Chang examines conventional cultural border terminology in "Re-
examining the Rhetoric of the Cultural Border" because she believes these easy models mask the
complicated ambivalence of identity development in multicultural societies. Chang develops her
argument through interdisciplinary research between cultural studies and rhetoric to show how
cultural identity remains in a state of negotiation and renegotiation within specific contextual
circumstances. The author challenges the traditional binary method of understanding cultural
boundaries because it presents them as homogenous group divisions, and she advocates for a
dynamic and complex model that includes hybrid identities and power dynamics from cultural
interactions.
Academic scholars frequently praise cultural hybridity while neglecting to address the
historical and material inequalities shaping intercultural interactions. Chang focuses on rhetorical
agency and positionality in cultural identity discussions by demonstrating that people need to
balance their position between various cultures and the social structures that build those cultures.
Through her proposal to transform the "cultural border" from a dividing line into a negotiating
space, Chang establishes an empowering framework that suits globalization and migration
contexts. The result is a more critical and empowering way to handle cultural interactions.
