Toward a Civic Rhetoric for Technologically and Scientifically Complex Places: Invention, Performance, and Participation

The spaces in which public deliberation most often takes place are institutionally, tech nologically, and scientifically complex. In this article, we argue that in order to partici pate, citizens must be able to invent valued knowledge. This invention requires using complex information technologies to access, assemble, and analyze information in or der to produce the professional and technical performances expected in contempo rary civic forums. We argue for a civic rhetoric that expands to research the complicated nature of interface technologies, the inventional practices of citizens as they use these technologies, and the pedagogical approaches to encourage the type of collaborative and coordinated work these invention strategies require.

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