Memphis Carnival Traditions: Maintaining Identity in a Changing Society

Author

Katherine Hitt Kenwright

Date of Award

2013

Document Type

Undergraduate Thesis

Department

Southern Studies

First Advisor

Ted Ownby

Relational Format

Dissertation/Thesis

Abstract

The Memphis Cotton Carnival began in 1931 as a way to use the main product of Memphis—cotton—to bring the city out of the Great Depression. Through various incarnations, Carnival has endured and today stands as one of the longest-standing traditions in the city. Its founders envisioned a meeting of the minds of the city's industry leaders accompanied by a series of events as a celebration for Memphis residents, as well as a way to increase tourism in the city. Cotton Carnival and Cotton Maker's jubilee, a celebration started in 1935 for the African American community in Memphis, have changed and adapted in the decades since their foundings. This thesis attempts to examine this adaptation and its effects, specifically regarding race, gender, and social structure in Memphis and the Mid-South. It also examines how the celebration has changed and why citizens of Memphis still see importance in enacting this celebration annually.

Recommended Citation

Kenwright, Katherine Hitt, "Memphis Carnival Traditions: Maintaining Identity in a Changing Society" (2013). Honors Theses. 2229.
https://egrove.olemiss.edu/hon_thesis/2229

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