Publication Type: Conference Paper/Unpublished Manuscript
Abstract: “Contextomy” refers to the selective excerpting of words from their original linguistic context in a way that distorts the source’s intended meaning, a practice commonly referred to as “quoting out of context.” A contextomized quotation not only prompts audiences to form a false impression of the source’s intentions, but can contaminate subsequent interpretation of the quote when it is restored to its original context. I delineate this counterintuitive consequence of contextomy as it pertains to recent political efforts to eliminate affirmative action programs.