Date of Award
12-24-2025
Date Published
January 2026
Degree Type
Dissertation
Degree Name
Doctor of Philosophy (PhD)
Department
Writing Studies, Rhetoric and Composition
Advisor(s)
Eileen Schell
Keywords
neoliberalism;opioids;policy;rhetoric
Subject Categories
Arts and Humanities | Rhetoric and Composition
Abstract
This dissertation outlines and examines the Neoliberal rhetorics of choice and responsibility, and how these rhetorics are utilized in policy and culture related to the Opioid Epidemic in the United States. Through this examination of neoliberal rhetorics in policy and culture, I unpack the circular influence these two have on each other—i.e., cultural assumptions inform policy decisions, and established policy can slowly influence cultural assumptions. The key area in which these two influence each other is through rhetoric, therefore I argue that in addition to an economic and cultural structure, neoliberalism is a rhetorical structure—it shapes our society specifically through how we talk about ourselves and each other.
Access
Open Access
Recommended Citation
Stinnett, Gina Arlene, "Policies of Pain: Neoliberal Rhetorics of the Opioid Epidemic in Culture and Policy" (2025). Dissertations - ALL. 2250.
https://surface.syr.edu/etd/2250
