Kyle Visits the 2021 National Communication Association

During the week of 11/15/2021, Kyle visited the annual meeting of the National Communication Association. This year's conference was held in Seattle, WA. Kyle presented two co-authored papers at the conference.

The first paper, written with Val Biwa, was given at the Ethnography Division. This project, titled Black lives matter in oklahoma city: Examining language use in everyday discourse, applied ethnography of communication to map the nuances of BLM-OKC as a speech community. The analysis compares conservative myths about BLM to the stated goals and other speech practices of the group. Another paper, presented with Dr. Eric M. Kramer, was delivered to the Philosophy Division. Eric and Kyle's essay, titled An Archaeology of Idolic Intoxication, surfaced the ancient social roots of chanting rituals before describing the ways in which contemporary political rallies often mirror this same ancient "magic." The conclusion was a warning about the inebriating effect of chanting, given that this mode of communication trades reflective thought (guided by rationality) for reflexive communication (grounded in sublimated group identity).

Aside from presenting papers, Kyle was able to spend time with co-workers and old friends in addition to exploring the city of Seattle. A highlight was visiting the Museum of Popular Culture with fellow media scholars, Caleb Hubbard and Anthony Cavazos! Next week, Kyle will be headed to San Diego, CA for the Comics Arts Conference! Meanwhile, please enjoy a few photos from the NCA meeting in Seattle.

Left: Kyle with doctoral advisor, Dr. Eric Kramer. Right: Kyle and co-author, Val Biwa.