Reading :: Genre Studies around the Globe

Genre Studies around the Globe: Beyond the Three Traditions
Edited by Natasha Artemeva and Aviva Freedman

This edited collection, as promised, draws from scholars across the globe to examine multiple traditions of genre theory and research. North American genre scholars will recognize authors such as Swales, Bhatia, Martin, Bazerman, Miller, Bawarshi, Giltrow, Rose, Tardy, Johns, Devitt, and Freadman, but we also see plenty of others across the 18 chapters. 

Since the collection largely features senior scholars, we see a lot of summing up in these chapters. For instance, Bazerman's chapter features a retrospective in which he discusses his journey to understanding and developing genre theory, while Miller's critically examines a metaphor (evolution) that has guided some genre theory. We also see a lot of overviews and histories of genre approaches. I think these contributions are important and could position the book well for, say, a class on genre theory. On the other hand, the strength is also a weakness: like most collections, this one had a hard time pulling together a unified theme and the overview-ishness of most chapters means that they sum up rather than offering new developments. Still, a worthwhile volume. If you're interested in genre theory, certainly pick it up.