Money Talks: Folklore in the Public Sphere

Author: Gencarella Olbrys, Stephen

Source: Folklore, Volume 116, Number 3, December 2005 , pp. 292-310(19)

Publisher: Routledge, part of the Taylor & Francis Group

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Abstract:

This article examines “currency chains”—messages and petitions written on paper money—as folkloric expressions and rhetorical acts that critique or commend dominant American public discourse. After a general description of currency chains, it considers two categories in detail. First is the “St. Lazarus” variety that flourished in the United States in the late 1990s, having migrated from Europe. Second are political money chains that engage with a social or political order, often in protest. This article observes the condemnation of currency chains as an irrational phenomenon, and regards them as viable means for often marginalised groups to foster participation in a public sphere.

Document Type: Research article

DOI: 10.1080/00155870500282735

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