SOCIO-RHETORICAL CRITICISM: HISTORICAL DEVELOPMENT ANDAFRICAN CONTEXTUAL APPLICATIONS IN BIBLICAL STUDIES

Abstract

Socio-rhetorical criticism (SRC) emerged from the pioneering works ofVernon K Robbbins' in the 1980s and had metamorphosed into amultidisciplinary approach which delves into the intertextual, socialcultural, ideological, and sacred “textures” of a text. This article thetraced SRC's historical development, paying attention to its focus onclassical rhetoric, Robbins's “textures” model expansion of it, and theglobal adaptation into various hermeneutical contexts such as feminist,African, and postcolonial ones. It further investigates SRC's strong pointsas a holistic, dialogical approach and evaluates its potential shortcomingsin terms of methodological complexity and interpretative subjectivity.The study adopted the qualitative method of research, integratinginterpretive mechanism of Socio-rhetorical criticism. The studyillustrates how SRC still instructs contemporary biblical scholarship toprovide a new and surprising framework for grappling withcontemporary issues of justice, identity, and ecology. Thus, SRC standsas more than just a method; it becomes a way of listening to Scripture inthe complexity and plurality that exists today.