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The Global Grapevine: Why Rumors of Terrorism, Immigration, and Trade Matter 1st Edition

by Gary Alan Fine (Author), Bill Ellis (Author)
3.6 3.6 out of 5 stars 10 ratings
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Far from mere idle tales, rumors are a valuable window into our anxieties and fears. Rumors let us talk as a community about some very inflammatory issues--issues that may be embarrassing or disturbing to discuss-allowing us to act as if we are talking about real events, not personal beliefs. We can air our hidden fears and desires without claiming these attitudes as our own.

In The Global Grapevine, two leading authorities on rumor, folklore, and urban legend--Gary Alan Fine and Bill Ellis--shed light on what contemporary rumors can tell us about the fears and pressures of globalization. In particular, they examine four major themes that emerge over and over again: rumors about terrorism, about immigration, about international trade, and about tourism. The authors analyze how various rumors underscore American reactions to perceived global threats, show how we interpret our changing world, and highlight fears, fantasies, and cherished beliefs about our place in the world. Along the way the book examines a wide variety of rumors-that the Israelis were behind 9-11, the President knew of the attack in advance, tourists wake up in foreign countries with their kidneys stolen, foreign workers urinate in vats of beer destined to be shipped to America. These rumors, the authors argue, reflect our anxieties and fears about contact with foreign cultures-whether we believe foreign competition to be poisoning the domestic economy or that foreign immigration to be eroding American values.

Rumors are the visible tip of a vast iceberg of hidden anxieties. Illuminating the most widely circulated rumors in America in recent years, The Global Grapevine offers an invaluable portrait of what these tales reveal about contemporary society.
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  1. ISBN-10
    0199736316
  2. ISBN-13
    978-0199736317
  3. Edition
    1st
  4. Publisher
    Oxford University Press
  5. Publication date
    June 11, 2010
  6. Language
    English
  7. Dimensions
    1.1 x 6.3 x 9.3 inches
  8. Print length
    272 pages
  9. See all details
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Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

Fine (Whispers on the Color Line), John Evans professor of sociology at Northwestern, and Ellis, professor emeritus at Penn State, examine the rumors and legends that circulate about the risks of our interconnected world in their treatment of the most ancient source of news. The authors explore its influence in the intimidating global community of the 21st century, particularly in the arenas of terrorism, immigration, international trade, and tourism; they make a generally persuasive case that since rumor shapes how people think and then respond to the world, its propagation is a fundamentally political act. Relying on shards of evidence, bits and pieces of hearsay, the self-styled rumor scholars analyze an array of contemporary rumors and draw some unremarkable conclusions: e.g., Americans are of several minds about immigration, have mixed feelings about the exotic, and are anxious about the economic impact of international trade. Even if Fine and Ellis promise more than they deliver, there is much that adds to our understanding of rumor in an era when access to information (and misinformation) has never been faster or more constant. (June)
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Review

"There is much that adds to our understanding of rumor in an era when access to information (and misinformation) has never been faster or more constant."-Publishers Weekly

"A flat world allows bad ideas to travel faster. Using illustrations ranging from the history of the vampire to modern rumors about terrorism, Gary Alan Fine and Bill Ellis explain what happens when cultures collide and they make you a smarter citizen of an increasingly connected world. If you want to spot the next whopper that appears in your in-box (or springs from the mouth of a television commentator) this book is essential."--Chip Heath, author Made to Stick: Why Some Ideas Survive and Others Die

"In this readable, insightful book, Fine and Ellis offer a tight analysis of loose talk. They show how seemingly unrelated rumors--9-11 conspiracy theories, warnings about dangerous imported goods, and stories about stolen body parts--reveal a common theme: many people's discomfort regarding their growing experience with and exposure to what strikes them as foreign. Other analysts may cheer that the world is shrinking and getting flatter, but the stories we tell one another suggest that globalization remains pretty scary for lots of folks."--Joel Best, author of Stat-Spotting: A Field Guide to Identifying Dubious Data

"This is a brilliant piece of cultural criticism. Fine and Ellis rigorously scrutinize the rampant paranoid rumors of our time, explaining how and why these fantasies form, what they mean, and how we should deal with them. Everyone who listens to talk radio or uses the Internet should read this book."--Jan Harold Brunvand, author of Encyclopedia of Urban Legends

Product details

  • Publisher ‏ : ‎ Oxford University Press; 1st edition (June 11, 2010)
  • Language ‏ : ‎ English
  • Hardcover ‏ : ‎ 272 pages
  • ISBN-10 ‏ : ‎ 0199736316
  • ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 978-0199736317
  • Item Weight ‏ : ‎ 1.2 pounds
  • Dimensions ‏ : ‎ 1.1 x 6.3 x 9.3 inches
  • Customer Reviews:
    3.6 3.6 out of 5 stars 10 ratings

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Gary Alan Fine

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Customer reviews

3.6 out of 5 stars
3.6 out of 5
10 global ratings

Top reviews from the United States

L. Milligan
5.0 out of 5 stars To understand rumor is to understand ourselves.
Reviewed in the United States on June 21, 2011
Verified Purchase
The subtitle of the book is why rumors of terrorism, immigration and trade matter. Why they matter is what makes this book so compelling. Rumors have led to actions, our authors tell us as they explore the historical threads of current legends. And those actions have not always been pretty, which is why it is important to both recognize rumors as such when we hear or read them and turn on our critical thinking caps. Among other things, the book provides a detailed account of turmoil in Hazleton, Pennsylvania when an influx of Latino migrants moved there attracted by jobs at a new meatpacking plant. Their large numbers began to change the character of the town, fueling rumors that set old townspeople against new, inspired the establishment of English only laws, and put the mayor of this small city in the national spotlight. In another chapter we learn how rumors related to the global trafficking of body parts have become widespread in poorer, less developed countries and so widely believed by some that they've become actionable. Unwitting tourists from wealthy countries have found themselves chased and attacked by protective residents after having innocently shown affectionate interest in the indigenous children. Residents of big, sophisticated cities are not immune to falling prey to rumors either as is described in recounting some of the rumors the attack on the World Trade Center spawned and the conspiracy theories that followed. The authors do more than recount these events, they provide the background necessary to understand why these and other rumors are believed.
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Marianne Hales Harding
5.0 out of 5 stars Copy in excellent condition. Even the paper book jacket is in ...
Reviewed in the United States on March 30, 2018
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Copy in excellent condition. Even the paper book jacket is in great condition. I wonder if it was even read....
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wonderiss
1.0 out of 5 stars Not Enjoyable
Reviewed in the United States on January 22, 2013
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Bought this book for a class. If it had not been a required reading, I would have stopped reading it about 1/4 of the way through. Not enjoyable, in my opinion.
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Mina
5.0 out of 5 stars Five Stars
Reviewed in the United States on October 21, 2015
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Great condition
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Top reviews from other countries

tosca
2.0 out of 5 stars The volume offers numerous examples of rumors and theories of ...
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on June 26, 2015
Verified Purchase
The volume offers numerous examples of rumors and theories of conspiracy, and investigates some of them. In such a book, one would expect a thesis, or at least a structure, rather than simple descriptions. The book does little to improve knowledge about rumors and theories of conspiracy. I regret my buy.
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