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

Abstract

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