Celebrated as the home of the blues and the birthplace of rock and
roll, Memphis, Tennessee, is where Elvis Presley, B. B. King,
Johnny Cash, and other musical legends got their starts. It is also
a place of conflict and tragedy--the site of Martin Luther King
Jr.'s 1968 assassination--and a city typically marginalized by
scholars and underestimated by its own residents. Using this iconic
southern city as a case study, Wanda Rushing explores the
significance of place in a globalizing age.
Challenging the view that globalization renders place generic or
insignificant, Rushing argues that cultural and economic
distinctiveness persists in part because of global processes, not
in spite of them. Rushing weaves her analysis into stories about
the history and global impact of blues music, the social and racial
complexities of Cotton Carnival, and the global rise of FedEx,
headquartered in Memphis. She portrays Memphis as a site of
cultural creativity and global industry--a city whose traditions,
complex past, and specific character have had an influence on
culture worldwide.