Enoch Powell's 'rivers of blood' speech: A rhetorical political analysis

Crines, Andrew ORCID: 0000-0002-6878-5030, Heppell, Tim and Hill, Michael (2016) Enoch Powell's 'rivers of blood' speech: A rhetorical political analysis. BRITISH POLITICS, 11 (1). pp. 72-94.

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Abstract

This article exploits the developing political science literature on rhetorical political analysis (RPA) and applies it to one of the most controversial speeches of the post-war era in British politics. Alongside an analysis of the roots and impact of Powell's 'Rivers of Blood' speech the article deconstructs Powell's rhetoric and oratory. In doing so the article moves beyond the traditional modes of analysing the speech, which focus on the reproduction of 'new racisms' and that are prevalent within the sociological and social psychology academic literature. By using RPA the article considers the speech through the use of the rhetorical techniques of persuasion (i) appeals to ethos-that is, the persona of the speaker; (ii) pathos-that is, the range of emotions evoked; (iii) or logos-that is, the evidence that supports the arguments underpinning the speech. This type of analysis showcases how and why Powell's speech made such an impact when just as inflammatory comments had been uttered by other Conservatives before 1968.

Item Type:	Article
Uncontrolled Keywords:	conservative party, Enoch Powell, race, immigration, political rhetoric, political oratory
Depositing User:	Symplectic Admin
Date Deposited:	10 Sep 2015 08:28
Last Modified:	11 Jul 2023 02:26
DOI:	10.1057/bp.2015.13
Related URLs:	Author Publisher
URI:	https://livrepository.liverpool.ac.uk/id/eprint/2025219