Atilla T Hallsby

My current research is about secrecy and rhetoric in American political culture, including secrecy in partisan groups, whistleblowing discourse, transparency activism, the war on terror, anti-science conspiracies, and in US/Mexico immigration and adoption policy. This work addresses the present-day problem of "post-truth," in which the public sphere of communication is saturated with disinformation. I advocate a formalist approach to secrecy that draws attention to the patterns in American political rhetoric that have lead to unstable public leadership, pervasive cynicism, and broken international alliances. My purpose is to draw attention to secrecy as an important rhetorical dynamic of political community and communication, as well as how it continues to shape our practices of public governance. 

I have regularly taught courses on public speaking, argumentation, rhetorical theory, and communication ethics. I also teach special topics courses on secrecy and surveillance.