Memphis
and the Paradox of Place: Globalization in the American South
By
Wanda Rushing
Book
Report written by: Mary Anne Jusko,
Wanda
Rushing is an associate professor of sociology at the University of
Memphis. She has chosen to explore,
through a “narrative, historical-sociological, case study approach” (p.27) the
idea of place, globalization, the South, and Memphis, which has been her home
for the past 12 years. The task took 5
years, including a one year sabbatical leave, and has produced a very detailed,
academic, and thought-provoking picture of Memphis. Rushing supports her stance throughout the
book that a place can maintain its identity and uniqueness even with
globalization impacting it, and that Memphis has indeed been formed, shaped,
reformed, and reshaped many times over in response to globalization as well as
other disruptions in its history, while still maintaining its integrity and
identity.
The
18 pages of footnotes are easy to access and add much detail and specificity to
the read, and the 21 - page bibliography as well is very inclusive, citing
reliable, primary sources covering a span of a century of classic as well as
more recent works on the topic of the South.
This
book takes the reader on an interesting journey through the music, art, museums,
parks, libraries, counties, yellow fever epidemics, and much more, of Memphis
and the surrounding area – the Mid-South.
Although the book reads as a school textbook initially, the case studies
were eventually revealed, and the book became more readable and enjoyable for
the lay person. I was disappointed that
there were only two graphics in the book, as the rich descriptions made me want
to see more. There is only one photo and
one diagram, yet these both are well chosen and very summative. The photo on
page 41 is of the Nathan Bedford Forrest statue in Memphis’s Forrest Park. In the forefront of the photo is the profile
of an African American man, resting. In
the background looms the statue, larger than life, of the figure of Nathan
Forrest on a horse. This photo
represents much conflict, which still exists in Memphis today. The photo by
Mike Brown captures the concept of “the paradox of memory.” Rushing explains how the past shapes present
memory, and the present selects the past memory it wishes to embrace and
preserve, forgetting some parts of it, remembering other parts, while
restructuring the image of the past as it is constantly revisited. And the fact that city officials chose, more
than 40 years after the end of the Civil war, this statue of a General from the
Civil War to display in the most prominent place of the city, speaks
volumes. It was dedicated in 1905 in
front of thousands of citizens. This image of a Confederate General, white
male, slave trader, Plantation Master, one of the first 13 founders of the KKK,
and the Klan’s first Grand Wizard, was chosen purposefully, with an agenda
attached. It still stands in the park
today. Brown’s photo of the African
American man resting in the foreground of this statue is an example, a
“testament” to the many years of manipulation and purposeful design by city
officials and other groups, such as the United Daughters of the Confederacy, to
form and shape the collective memory of Memphis citizens. The United Daughters of the Confederacy aided
in the efforts to shape the public memory and to teach the future generations
to accept their “place” in the social hierarchy. (pg.43) They did this by
purchasing textbooks, setting up scholarships, and building memorials all with
the purpose of remembering the “Confederacy and the Lost Cause” (pg.43)
The
second graphic, a …“ Gallis map, shows Memphis at the center of global trade.”
(pg.87) It is a powerful graphic that shows how Memphis is truly a center-point,
with FedEx and Northeast Airline flights flying to most continents daily. Memphis is a commercial center, with the
industries of warehousing, transportation, and distribution driving its
economy. Many institutions and hospitals, including St. Jude Children’s
Research Hospital, are helping Memphis create a new biomedical technology
industry. Traditionally, however, Memphis has always put little money into
education and has recruited low paying job positions, which has contributed to
the underachievement of many generations.
Today Tennessee, according to the 2003 US Census, ranks 40th
in the nation when looking at the number of 25 year olds and older that have
graduated high school. 79.5 percent of
Memphians have a high school diploma. (The national average is 83.6 percent)
Also, Tennessee ranks 43rd in the nation when looking at the number
of 25 year olds and older that have a bachelor’s degree. 21.5 Memphians hold that degree, with Memphis
claiming 21 percent (the national
average is 26 percent) (pg. 112) Rushing states her case that the economic
development is positive, but on the negative end is the under-investment in
“human capital” (pg.119). This
underinvestment in education and its people keeps inequalities alive in
Memphis, and stifles its chances of becoming a “world-class” city. (pg. 119) In studying Memphis and its struggle to
position itself as a top United States city, Rushing points out the need for
the city to invest in its people – in the education of Memphians.
Other
inequalities Rushing delineates are the dual school systems, dual governments,
and the two annual carnivals. First,
Memphis has two mayors, one for the city, and one for the county. Secondly, there are two school systems, a
large African American city school system, and a smaller, mostly white county
school system. ( pg.4) As well, the suburbs are predominatenly affluent, and the urban area suffers with
poverty but also some affluence. Last,
the yearly Carnival celebrations reflect the social order still in existence today. Carnival
Rushing
also broaches the subjects of shame and embarrassment issues with the murder of
MLK, the delay of building a museum on the site, and disagreements about what
the museum should house as well as the purpose of the museum. Preserving Beale Street had two schools of
thought also, those that wanted to preserve its culture, music, and lifestyle
and those that wanted to tear it down for the same reasons, to restructure the
area, to “clean it up.” The demolition
of Staxx testifies to this duality, and eventually The Stax Museum of American
Soul Music went up at the site.
In
conclusion, Rushing’s book reveals how Memphis searches for its identity, rolls
with the punches of social inequality, and works through conflict.
(pg.197) Rushing makes clear that the
citizens of
I
highly recommend this book to the serious reader that is interested in learning
more about what a good case study is, and the appropriate use of a case study
to learn about a place. This book will
increase the reader’s knowledge of the city of Memphis, its history from the
day it was founded in 1819 (one year after the Chickasaw Cession) by Andrew
Jackson, James Winchester, and John Overton, to present-day Memphis. The reader will enjoy a deeper understanding
of the economy, social structure, music, land use, and promise of Memphis’s
future. Most of all, it will reaffirm
that in this age of globalization, there is hope that a city can, and should,
maintain its sense of identity, its “place” not in spite of globalization, but
hand in hand with it, with a blending of the old and the new to continually
redefine, relearn, and reshape , and maintain its own
uniqueness and identity.