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Book Editor: Patricia Goubil-Gambrell Texas Tech University
Genre Knowledge in Disciplinary Communication: Cognition/Culture/Power, Carol Berkenkotter and Thomas N. Huckin. Hillsdale, NJ: Lawrence Erlbaum, 1995.
Reviewed by Elizabeth Overman Smith Auburn University
In Genre Knowledge in Disciplinary Communication, Carol Berkenkotter and Thomas Huckin propose a five-point theoretical framework for describing the textual discourse of academic writers Genre knowledge "refers to an individual's repertoire of situationally appropriate responses to recurrent situations" (ix). It provides the individual with discourse structures to work within, allowing the individual to adjust the discourse to meet conatual demands. Berkenkotter and Huckin suggest that studying the texts of professionals provides a better understanding of the disciplinary activities in knowledge building.
The authors propose five principles to define their sociocognitive theory of genre: dynamism, situatedness, form and content, duality of structure, and community ownership. Dynamism emphasizes the changing nature of the metorical situation while at the same time suggesting stability within rhetorical forms used for commonly occurring events. The authors acknowledge the influence of Carolyn Miller's explanation of recurrence and study of rhetoric in technical communication. Situatedness places the communication of the academic professional in werytay and professional activities. The activities contribute to knowledge-building activities "requiring immersion into the culture and a lengthy period of apprenticeship and enculturation" (13). The enculturation includes developing an awareness of form and content along with an awareness of the appropriateness and timeliness for the rhetorical activities. Berkenkotter and Huckin propose that the principle of form and context includes localization, background knowledge, novelty or surprise value, and kairos. Duality of structure accounts for the professional using genres while at the same time creating and modifying the genres. This principle along with dynamism explains how changes occur that build on prior knowledge and rhetorical experience. The authors stress how Anthony Giddens's structuration theory has contributed to their theory of genre by explaining genre patterns while at the same time cognizing that genre patterns change. They suggest that there is "a reciprocal relationship between social...