This thesis examines the rhetoric (persuasive
discourse) of the Fourteenth Dalai Lama, the exiled
spiritual and temporal leader of Tibet. The analysis of
this thesis provides an historical foundation of
understanding for the international campaign of rhetoric
which the Dalai Lama has been leading for the past forty
years, culminating with his Nobel Peace Prize award in
1989. The thesis provides an overview of the Dalai
Lama's persuasive tactics spanning his time spent
campaigning in exile, from 1959 to the present time
(1995). The Dalai Lama has been a strong leader in the
movement to raise support and international awareness
for Tibetans in Chinese controlled Tibet. Specifically,
this thesis presents an analysis of two of the Dalai
Lama's most well known speeches: the Five Point Peace
Plan, presented to members of the United States Congress on September 27, 1987, and the Strasbourg Proposal,
presented to members of the European Parliament on June
15, 1988.
The Dalai Lama's discourse is examined from the
perspective of rhetorical criticism, using the theories
of Kenneth Burke as the framework for understanding the
texts. This analysis incorporates Burke's theories on
mortification, scapegoating, victimage, and
transcendence, as well as the tragic and comic frames
for presenting a vision of dramatic conflict. The Dalai
Lama's rhetoric is also analyzed for its cross cultural
implications according to Geert Hofstede's dimensions of
cultural variability. This thesis includes a discussion
of the Dalai Lama's role as a social movement leader
with a charismatic persona and a strong ability to
organize and manage a diverse international following
while working to preserve the Tibetan diaspora in exile.
Lastly, the ethical groundings of the Dalai Lama's
rhetoric are taken into consideration.
The purpose of this thesis is to introduce to
communication students the significance of the Dalai
Lama's body of work, and to indicate potential
directions for future research. The rationale behind
the thesis is this: in rhetorical theory and social
movement theory, there exist numerous studies of the
nonviolent rhetoric and social movement leadership of
both Dr. Martin Luther King of the United States and Mahatma Gandhi of India; yet the Dalai Lama, whose work
I show to be comparable in many ways to that of King and
Gandhi, has remained unexamined by scholars in many
disciplines, most notably rhetorical criticism and
social movement theory. The intent of this thesis is to
focus upon the Dalai Lama's rhetoric and communication
skills in order to stimulate an enduring interest in him
as a remarkable orator and leader, from whom we may gain
insight into improving our ability to communicate and to
manage conflict in a nonviolent manner. / Graduation date: 1996
| Identifer | oai:union.ndltd.org:ORGSU/oai:ir.library.oregonstate.edu:1957/35025 |
| Date | 22 May 1995 |
| Creators | Gorsevski, Ellen Weihe |
| Contributors | Iltis, Robert S. |
| Source Sets | Oregon State University |
| Language | en_US |
| Detected Language | English |
| Type | Thesis/Dissertation |
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