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Roots

Slides Prepared for “The Rhetoric of Secrecy and Surveillance”

For UnTextbook Chapter: “Roots”

Prof. Atilla Hallsby

© 2022

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Why Rhetoric? Why Roots?

Rhetoric

  • Modes of spoken/written persuasion
  • Forms of representation that facilitate identification
  • An analysis of hierarchies of power

Roots/Etymologies

  • Denotation is always metaphorical
  • Terms carry the trace of their prior usage
  • Encryption is a feature of language’s transformation

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Secrecy as�Imperial Practice/�Settler Metaphor

  • Arcanum is a noun that refers to a coffin, chest, or treasury.
  • Tacitus coins the noun phrase arcanum imperii, which signifies “secrets of state.”
  • Secretum is a noun derived from the verb secenere, which means to divide, separate, and secrete.
  • Both illustrate the connection of secrecy to scarce resources (both imagined and real) and to the exercise of political power.

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Secrecy and Surveillance Proliferate Specialized Languages/Terminologies

The OSS/CIA/NSA

De-bunking and Pre-bunking

Clandestine and Covert

Classified, Secret, and Top-Secret

Leaking, Whistleblowing, and Stove-Piping

Espionage, Sedition, and Conspiracy

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Discussion Questions

What were the most interesting ideas, concepts, stories, or parts of the writing? What stood out to you and why?

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What terms, concepts, and distinctions does Galison add to those that are offered in this entry? Why are they important or worthy of consideration? (How) are they related to the other concepts listed here?

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Is it possible to make secrecy into an academic area of study? If it is (or were) possible, what sorts of things would it be necessary or important to pay attention to? Would this area of study have to change over time?

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