The Global Grapevine: Why Rumors of Terrorism, Immigration, and Trade Matter
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.