Living Folklore

by Sims, Martha C.; Stephens, Martine

• ISBN13: 9780874218442
• ISBN10: 0874218446
• Edition: 2nd
• Format: Hardcover
• Copyright: 2011-10-31
• Publisher: Utah State Univ Pr

Summary

This revised edition incorporates new examples, research, and theory along with added discussion of digital and online folklore. Living Folkloreis a comprehensive, straightforward introduction to folklore as it is lived, shared and practiced in contemporary settings. Drawing on examples from diverse American groups and experiences, this text gives the student a strong foundation-from the field's history and major terms to theories and interpretive approaches. Living Folkloremoves beyond genres and classifications, and encourages students who are new to the field to see the study of folklore as a unique approach to understanding people, communities, and day-to-day artistic communication.

Table of Contents

Acknowledgments	p. ix
Preface	p. xii
Folklore	p. 1
What is Folklore?	p. 1
A Working Definition	p. 1
Scholarly Definitions of Folklore	p. 8
Genres of Folklore	p. 12
Defining Folklore Beyond Genre Labels: Texts and Contexts	p. 18
A Brief History of Folklore Study	p. 21
Conclusion	p. 29
Groups	p. 30
What is a Folk Group?	p. 31
Definitions	p. 34
How Folk Groups Form	p. 38
Self-Identification and Group Membership	p. 42
Family, School, and Occupational Groups	p. 46
Family	p. 46
School Groups	p. 49
Occupational Groups	p. 52
Example: Folklore in Bounded Spaces	p. 55
Groups and Belief	p. 61
Example: Belief and Contemporary Legends	p. 66
Conclusion	p. 68
Tradition	p. 69
What is Tradition?	p. 69
Tradition is Both Lore and Process	p. 70
Tradition Helps to Create and Confirm a Sense of Identity	p. 71
Tradition is Identified as Tradition by the Community	p. 72
How do People Learn and Share Traditions?	p. 73
Do Traditions Disappear?	p. 79
Dynamic and Conservative Elements of Tradition	p. 81
Inventing Tradition	p. 87
The Question of Authenticity	p. 89
Example: Traditions in Folk Art	p. 98
Conclusion	p. 97
Ritual	p. 98
What is Ritual?	p. 99
Low-Context and High-Context Rituals102
Invented Ritual	p. 104
The Question of Belief in Sacred and Secular Rituals	p. 106
Liminality and Ritual Space	p. 109
Types of Rituals	p. 113
Rites of Passage	p. 114
Coming-of-Age Rituals	p. 117
Initiation Rituals	p. 122
Naming Rituals	p. 124
Example: Rituals and Private and Public Identity	p. 124
Conclusion	p. 128
Performance	p. 130
What is Performance?	p. 131
Example: A Proverbial Performance	p. 132
The Study of Performance	p. 136
Performance Texts	p. 137
Texture	p. 138
Context	p. 139
Physical Context	p. 141
Social Context	p. 142
Recognizing Texts in Context: Performance Markers and Framing	p. 144
Reflexivity	p. 146
Emergence	p. 148
Folklore That Pushes the Boundaries	p. 153
Aesthetics	p. 158
Critic versus Group Consensus	p. 163
Traditionality	p. 164
Skill	p. 164
Practicality	p. 168
The Nature of Aesthetic Response	p. 169
Personal Narrative in Performance	p. 173
Example: A Personal Narrative Emerges	p. 175
Conclusion	p. 179
Approaches to Interpreting Folklore	p. 180
Functions: Purposes, Roles, and Meanings	p. 181
Example: Multiple Meanings in Context	p. 183
Structure: Patterns, Themes, and Formal Relationships	p. 184
Psychoanalytic Interpretations: Symbols and Metaphors	p. 192
Social Dimensions: Texts and Performances in Complex Contexts	p. 198
Conclusion	p. 205
Fieldwork and Ethnography	p. 206
Collecting Data: The Nuts and Bolts of Fieldwork	p. 207
Finding Ideas	p. 207
Getting Started on Fieldwork	p. 209
Developing and Asking Good Questions	p. 212
Field Notes	p. 215
Transcribing and Transcripts	p. 220
Returning from the Field: Follow-up Research	p. 222
The People Factor: Interpersonal and Ethical Concerns	p. 222
Insider and Outsider Roles	p. 223
Observation and Participant-Observer Roles	p. 224
Rapport: Creating and Understanding Researcher-Consultant Relationships	p. 225
Ethics	p. 227
Reciprocal Ethnography	p. 228
Example: Giving up the Last Word	p. 230
Conclusion	p. 231
Examples of Folklore Projects	p. 232
One of the Guys	p. 233
Gay Rituals: Outing, Biking, and Sewing	p. 245
Roadside Memorials: Material Focus of Love, Devotion, and Remembrance	p. 255
"Down on Main Street": The 152nd Beilville Street Fair and Homecoming	p. 270
Food for Thought: Power and Food in Hurston's Their Eyes Were Watching God	p. 276
The Hookah Folk: Understanding Hookah Smokers as a Folk Group	p. 285
Suggestions for Activities and Projects	p. 300
Group and Classroom Activities	p. 301
Personal Reflection	p. 302
Library Research	p. 303
Fieldwork Projects	p. 304
Integrated Projects-Bringing It All Together	p. 305
Traditional Behavior	p. 305
Changes in Groups and Traditions	p. 305
Verbal Expressions	p. 306
Legend Trips	p. 306
Foodways	p. 307
Notes	p. 309
References	p. 314
Index	p. 322
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