I Heard It Through the Grapevine: Rumor in African-American Culture

by Patricia A. Turner

Overview

I Heard It Through the Grapevine explores how rumors that run rife in African-American communities, concerning such issues as AIDS, the Ku Klux Klan and FBI conspiracies, translate white oppression into folk warnings, and are used by the community to respond to a hostile dominant culture. 

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780520915572
Publisher:	University of California Press
Publication date:	11/15/2023
Sold by:	Barnes & Noble
Format:	eBook
Pages:	260
File size:	5 MB

About the Author

Patricia A. Turner is Senior Dean of the College Dean/Vice Provost of Undergraduate Education; Professor, Department of African American Studies and World Arts and Culture at the University of California at Davis, and the author of Ceramic Uncles & Celluloid Mammies: Black Images and Their Influence on Culture (1994).

Table of Contents

Acknowledgments
Preface
Introduction

1. Cannibalism: "They doe eat each other alive"
2. Corporal Control: "They want to beat us, burn us,
whatever they can do"
3· Conspiracy I: "They ... the KKK ... did it"
4. Conspiracy II: "They ... the powers that
be ... want to keep us down"
5· Contamination: "They want to do more than just
kill us"
6. Consumer/Corporate Conflict: "They won't get me to
buy it"
7· Crack: "See, they want us to take all of those drugs"
8. Conclusion: From Cannibalism to Crack
Epilogue: Continuing Concerns

Bibliography
Index

Editorial Reviews

In an intriguing exploration of black folklore, Turner examines contemporary legends--like Ku Klux Klan ownership of a now defunct clothing firm--common in the black community. The author, who teaches African-American and African Studies at UC Davis, finds the roots of folk notions about racial difference in the contact between European explorers and black Africans, and in white attempts to control black bodies from slavery days through 20th-century riots. She offers close analysis of several persistent conspiracy rumors: black belief that white-owned firms directed at black customers, e.g., Church's Fried Chicken, are run by the KKK; that sneaker-maker Reebok is owned by South Africa; that AIDS and crack are part of a white plot to suppress blacks. Turner insightfully observes that ``products or places having strong symbolic potency for African-Americans''--some soul food is an example--can inspire folk speculation. She argues that most rumors are based on ``readings or misreadings'' of real oppression of blacks, and that combatting such rumors requires first addressing racial intolerance and inequality. However, Turner downplays the responsibility of the black community to support accurate reporting and education efforts. Illustrations not seen by PW. (Sept.)

Publishers Weekly - Publisher's Weekly

"A compelling read. . . . Through sleuth-like research of rumor and myth in African-American culture, Turner uncovers perhaps the biggest conspiracy of all: centuries of systematic racism in the United States. She traces the history of black folklore in this country from the moment the first slave ships arrived to the present day, repeatedly providing powerful evidence that the African-American fear of white America is not simply unfounded cultural paranoia."

L.A. Reader Review

"A feast for those interested in historical and modern black folklore and for both supporters and critics of conspiracy theory."

Quarterly Black Review of Books

"Fascinating. . . . Turner explores the origins of rumors, how they spread and their sometimes devastating effect. . . as she examines everything from Atlanta child murders to Liz Claiborne's designer clothes, Kool and Marlboro cigarets, Reebok footwear and Troop sportswear."

San Francisco Chronicle

"Illuminating. . . . Although [Turner] deals primarily with some seemingly preposterous rumors circulating among blacks in the United States, her book demonstrates how and exemplary case study of folklore can reveal the positive side of these seemingly damaging rumors. Moreover, her work opens up new perspectives on black culture."

New York Times

"A necessary addition to studies of African-American culture, with insights for all races into the effects of oppression and misunderstanding."

Boston Globe

"A feast for those interested in historical and modern black folklore. . . . Engaging." 

Chicago Tribune