The Revolutionary Rhetoric of Hamilton

Review
"This wide ranging study integrates a number of important areas of study: popular culture, American history, and musical theatre among others. It uses connections among those disciplines to show some important ways in which political issues that engross our country are being handled rhetorically through cultural artifacts. This is an important, integrative book." -- Barry Brummett, University of Texas at Austin
"The Revolutionary Rhetoric of Hamilton is an indispensable resource for understanding the multiple important messages in the greatest musical of our time, Hamilton. In revealing the meaning of Hamilton, the chapters in the book also reveal a great deal about historical and contemporary popular and political culture."
-- Robert C. Rowland, The University of Kansas
“This edited collection grounds its chapters in a larger argument about the importance of rhetoric and popular culture. It is essential reading for those interested in history, politics, identity, and entertainment, and makes an important contribution especially to the ongoing work on one of Broadway’s biggest hits.” -- Ryan Neville-Shepard, University of Arkansas
The Revolutionary Rhetoric of Hamilton analyzes traditional conceptions about the musical, Hamilton, American history, and current political disputes. This scholarly exploration of Hamilton encourages audiences to interpret this popular cultural force in a new way by revealing that the musical confronts conventional conceptions of American history, racial equity, and political power. Several chapters in this volume directly address recent controversies and conversations surrounding Hamilton, including the #CancelHamilton trend on social media, the musical’s depiction of slavery, and its intersections with the Black Lives Matter movement. Contributors explore how the musical offers social commentary on issues such as immigration and gender equity and how Hamilton re-considers the roles of theatre in making social statements, especially relating to the narrator, the role of the curtain speech, and musical traditions. Chapters within the book employ multiple novel theoretical approaches and perspectives—including public memory, feminist rhetorical criticism, disability studies, and sound studies—to reveal new insights about this beloved show. Scholars of theatre studies, media studies, and communication studies will find this book particularly useful.