Splat

Splat is the first book to examine throwing things as a form of political protest. Gruber thickens the description of splatter protests, detailing how the qualities of material things are integral to the persuasive power of protest performances. Scholars working in rhetorical studies, media studies, and political science will find the book timely as the investigation stitches together new interest in the politics of affect and the agency of things. He works through what he calls a “postplural archaeology” that takes seriously historiographical presences without overlooking the generativity of the material world. Ultimately, Gruber forwards a theory of kairotic materiality as a way to understand why some things splattering in a raucous political sphere become significant game changers and others do not.