Biography
Jason Del Gandio’s scholarship focuses on the performance, philosophy and rhetoric of social justice. “Performance” addresses issues of embodiment, habit and style; “philosophy” addresses cognition, reason and systems of thought; and “rhetoric” addresses audience, language and persuasion. His topics of interest also include activism, community organizing, enactments of resistance and liberation, and social movements. Theoretically, Del Gandio’s work is most directly informed by Italian Autonomism, phenomenology and poststructuralism.
His earlier work has focused on helping activists improve their communication skills and rhetorical strategies, the topic of his first book, Rhetoric for Radicals: A Handbook for 21st Century Activists (2008). It’s also related to a more recent, co-edited book titled Educating for Action: Strategies to Ignite Social Justice (2014). Much of his work is influenced by his own experiences with activism and social movements. Over the past fifteen years, Del Gandio has participated in the antiwar movement, fair trade campaigns, the global justice movement, Latin American solidarity work and more recently, the Occupy movement.
He is also beginning to explore social movement literacy: How do we help educate the general public on how to properly read and understand the nature and function of social movements? Del Gandio envisions that as a public pedagogy project—it exceeds the institutional boundaries of the academy and seeks to have wider social influence.
Research Interests
- Theory and Practice of Social Justice Activism and Social Movements The Intersections of Performance
- Philosophy
- and Rhetoric Critical/Cultural Theory Social/Political Theory Continental Philosophy
Education
Degree | Field | School |
|---|---|---|
PhD | Philosophy of Communication | Southern Illinois University, Carbondale |
MS | Philosophy of Communication | Southern Illinois University, Carbondale |
BS | Philosophy/Speech Communication | Kean University of New Jersey |
Courses Taught
Number | Name | Level |
|---|---|---|
CSI 2111 | Argumentation and Advocacy | Undergraduate |
CSI 2296 | Resistance, Protests, and Social Movements | Undergraduate |
CSI 2403 | Civil Disobedience | Undergraduate |
CSI 3100 | Special Topics in Communication and Social Influence | Undergraduate |
CSI 3401 | Social Activism and Community Organizing | Undergraduate |
CSI 3401 | Urban Organizing | Undergraduate |
Publications
Type | Publication Title | Co-Authors | Publisher | Location | Year | Misc. |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Coedited Book | Educating for Action: Strategies to Ignite Social Justice | Anthony Nocella | New Society Press | Gabriola Island, B.C. | 2014 | |
Coedited Book | The Terrorization of Dissent: Corporate Repression, Legal Corruption, and the Animal Enterprise Terrorism Act | Anthony Nocella | Lantern Books | Brooklyn, NY | 2014 | |
Book | Rhetoric for Radicals: A Handbook for Twenty-First Century Activists | New Society Press | Gabriola Island, B.C. | 2008 | ||
Journal Article | Extending the Eros Effect: Sentience, Reality, and Emanation | New Political Science | 2014 | 36.2: 129-148 | ||
Journal Article | From Affectivity to Emanation: An Introduction to the Human Vibe | PhaenEx: Journal of Existential and Phenomenological Theory and Culture | 2012 | 7.2: 28-58 | ||
Journal Article | Rethinking Immaterial Labor: Communication, Reality, and Neo-Radicalism | Radical Philosophy Review | 2011 | 14.2: 121-138 | ||
Journal Article | You Can Do It: A Conversation with Theatrical Artist Cynthia Hopkins | Liminalities: A Journal of Performance Studies | 2009 | 5.4: 1-20 | ||
Journal Article | Global Justice Rhetoric: Observations and Suggestions | Ephemera: Theory and Politics in Organization | 2008 | 8.2: 182-203 |
Lectures / Conferences
Title | Date |
|---|---|
Rhetoric and Activism (Skype Talk, Oklahoma State University) | 2015 |
The AETA and the Terrorization of Dissent (Public Talk, Vassar College) | 2014 |
The AETA and the Terrorization of Dissent (Public Talk, Wooden Shoe Bookstore) | 2014 |
Activists, Bodies, and Political Arguments (Keynote Address, Patti Pace Festival, George Regents University) | 2014 |
Becoming an Effective Activist (Public Talk, Temple University) | 2013 |
Social Justice Education in the Occupy Movement (Skype Talk, Hamline University) | 2012 |
What is Occupy? (Panel Participant, Temple University Law School) | 2011 |
Service
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Name | Type of Service | Position | Dates Active |
|---|---|---|---|
Rhetoric and Public Advocacy | Department | Sequence Head | 2010–Present |
RPA Student Club | Department | Faculty Advisor | 2013–2015 |
Writing-Intensive Curriculum Committee | University | Committee Member | 2014–Present |