ELIZA MAHER
BIO
Eliza Maher studied English Creative Writing and Global Studies at St. Lawrence University and has contributed to the Glocal Dispatches series. She grew up in Geneva, New York, in the Finger Lakes area of the state. In her free time she likes to run, read, and bake.
By Eliza Maher
Though not a global city, Geneva, New York, located in the Finger Lakes region of the state, has become increasingly popular among tourists, entrepreneurs, culinary artists, and young, creative people. In the first installment of our new “Glocal Dispatches” series, Eliza Maher critically analyzes the revitalization of Geneva into a city driven by local businesses, art, music, Hobart and William Smith colleges, and Seneca Lake, and explores the shift to an image-saturated society. However, the shift, often characterized as positive, innovative, and diverse, fails to acknowledge the influence the urban branding will have on the minority groups in Geneva who cannot afford the lifestyle driven by localism.