Robert Asen

Robert Asen is a Professor in the Department of Rhetoric, Politics, and Culture at the University of Wisconsin–Madison. His research examines the intersections of rhetoric, democratic theory, and public policy, with a focus on how inequalities shape discourse and power dynamics in education and civic life.

• Ph.D., Northwestern University (1998)
• M.A., University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill (1994)
• B.A., University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign (1991)

Asen investigates how dominant ideologies like neoliberalism and whiteness structure public debates about education and social equity. His work analyzes school choice policies, privatization efforts, and the rhetorical mechanisms through which marginalized communities contest exclusionary practices.

Recent publications explore anti-critical discourse, racialized economic rhetoric, and neoliberal threats to democratic deliberation. His scholarship has appeared in Communication Theory, Quarterly Journal of Speech, and Educational Policy.

• Golden Monograph Award, National Communication Association (2018)
• Distinguished Scholar, National Communication Association (2014)
• Vilas Associate, UW Graduate School (2013)
• James A. Winans-Herbert A. Wichelns Award (2010)

Asen leads grants such as the William T. Grant Foundation-funded project on school board research utilization. His teaching includes graduate seminars on rhetorical theory, public sphere studies, and democratic deliberation.