Rumor Mills: The Social Impact of Rumor and Legend

by Campion-Vincent,Veronique

• ISBN13: 9780202307473
• ISBN10: 0202307476
• Format: Nonspecific Binding
• Copyright: 2005-06-30
• Publisher: Routledge

Summary

The goal of this volume is to explore the social and political dynamics of rumor and the related concept of urban or contemporary legend. These forms of communication often appear in tandem with social problems, including riots, racial or political violence, and social and economic upheavals. The volume emphasizes the connection of rumor to a set of social concerns from government corruption and corporate scandal, to racial, religious, and other prejudices. Central to the dialogue are issues of truth, belief, history, public policy, and evidence. Rumor has been recognized as one of the most important contributing factors to violence and discrimination. Yet, despite its significance in exacerbating social discord and mistrust, little systematic scholarly attention has been paid to the political origins and consequences of rumor. Rumor is defined as a proposition for belief that is not backed by secure standards of evidence. Rumor can be traditional or not, and can be expressed as a simple claim of fact. In both instances groups of claim-makers, operating out of their own interests and with a set of resources, attempt to depict reality, and if possible, impact the future. The need for this book is underscored by changing patterns of technology. What in the past was grounded in face- to-face interaction is now often found on the Internet, which is a major source of rumor. An appreciation of how new electronic forms of communication affect communal belief is essential for explicating rumor dynamics. The volume is comprehensive. Essays cover race and ethnicity, migration and globalization, corporate malfeasance, and state and government corruption. While editors and contributors well appreciate the dynamic nature of rumors and legends, the high quality of the effort make it evident that the issues that are raised and reoccur will serve to channel and inspire research in this major field of communications research for years to come. Gary Alan Fine is professor of sociology at Northwestern University in Evanston, Illinois. Veronique Campion-Vincent is a folklorist at the Maison des Sciences de l'Homme, in Paris, France. Chip Heath is associate professor of organizational behavior in the Graduate School for Business at Stanford University in California. Each are accomplished authors and researchers--as are the participants in the volume itself.

Table of Contents

Contributors	ix
Rumor Matters: An Introductory Essay	1	(10)
Gary Alan Fine
I THE SOCIAL PRODUCTION OF CONFLICT AND PREJUDICE
Introduction	11	(70)
Véronique Campion-Vincent
1 Dramatic Rumors and Truthful Appearances: The Medieval Myth of Ritual Murder by Proxy	15	(16)
Jody Enders
2 Rumors in Times of War and Cataclysm: A Historical Perspective	31	(22)
Galit Hasan-Rokem
3 Rumors and Religious Riots	53	(8)
Sudhir Kakar
4 Mafia in Meran?: Rumors and Legends Surrounding the "Leather Connection": A Case Study	61	(20)
Ingo Schneider
II THE SPREAD OF RUMORS
Introduction	81	(88)
Chip Heath
5 Psychological Motivations in Rumor Spread	87	(16)
Prashant Bordia and Nicholas DiFonzo
6 From Evil Others to Evil Elites: A Dominant Pattern in Conspiracy Theories Today	103	(20)
Véronique Campion-Vincent
7 Legend/AntiLegend: Humor as an Integral Part of the Contemporary Legend Process	123	(18)
Bill Ellis
8 How Rumor Begets Rumor: Collective Memory, Ethnic Conflict, and Reproductive Rumors in Cameroon	141	(18)
Pamela Feldman-Savelsberg, Flavien T. Ndonko, and Song Yang
9 The Effects of Legends, Rumors, and Related Genres on Audiences	159
Rainer Wehse
III THE CREATION OF PLAUSIBILITY
Introduction	169	(4)
Patricia A. Turner
10 Fashion, Topical Jokes, and Rumor as Short-Term Enthusiasms	173	(16)
Joel Best
11 Celebrating Arabs and Grateful Terrorists: Rumor and the Politics of Plausibility	189	(18)
Gary Alan Fine and Irfan Khawaja
12 Beyond Rumor and Legend: Some Aspects of Academic Communication	207	(16)
Sandy Hobbs
13 Negatory Rumors: From the Denial of Reality to Conspiracy Theory	223	(18)
dean-Bruno Renard
14 Social Construction and Social Consequences: Rumors and Evidence	241	(14)
Luise White
Conclusion Rumor and Legend: Seven Questions	255	(10)
Chip Heath, Véronique Campion-Vincent, and Gary Alan Fine
Index	265