Sub Topic
- Name:Vorris Nunley
-
Topics:
- Public Policy: Rhetoric and Politics
- Culture : Race in America
- Culture : Martin Luther King Anniversary
- Culture : Giffords shooting
- Culture : Black History Month
- Culture : African-American Culture
- Title:Assistant Professor of English
- Degree:Ph.D. English 2005
- E-mail: vorris.nunley@ucr.edu
- Phone: 951-827-1927
- Prefered Media: Print, Radio, Video
Media Contact:
- Bettye Miller
- bettye.miller@ucr.edu
- (951) 827-7847
Background:
Among Nunley's research interests is the study of rhetoric. He is available to discuss how the content and style of candidates' speeches may change to appeal to different constituencies, how a candidate such as Rudy Giuliani may take celebrity status and convert it to social capital, and why Barack Obama has charisma and Hillary Clinton does not. "Charisma is so important in who can and can't be president," Nunley says. "If charisma's not working, you don't even get a hearing. One reason you don't see women winning for president is because charisma is masculinized." Nunley also can speak about the tradition of African American hush harbors, spheres such as beauty shops, barbershops and women's clubs where congregants could speak freely and obtain knowledge useful in everyday life. Hush harbors may occur within different groups and cultures, from NASCAR and churches to the women's suffrage and civil rights movements. "They produce knowledge in ways that doesn't occur publicly," Nunley says. "To overlook hush harbors is to overlook a substantial part of democracy."
Languages Spoken:
English
