A Companion to Folklore - Paperback

by Regina F. Bendix (Editor), Galit Hasan-Rokem (Editor)

A Companion to Folklore contains an original and comprehensive set of essays from international experts in the field of folklore studies. This state-of-the-art collection uniquely displays the vitality of folklore research across the globe. The Companion covers four main areas: the first section engages with the practices and theoretical approaches developed to understand the phenomena of folklore; the second discusses the distinctive shapes that folklore studies have taken in different locations in time and space; the third examines the interaction of folklore with various media, as well as folklore's commoditization. In the final section on practice, essays offer insights into how folklorists work, what they do, and ways in which they have institutionalized their field.

Throughout, contributors investigate the interplay of folklore and folkloristics in both academic and political arenas; they evaluate key issues in the folk life of communities from around the world, including China, post-communist Russia, post-colonial India, South America, Israel and Japan. The result is a unique reflection and understanding of the profoundly different research histories and current perspectives on international research in the field.

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BLACKWELL COMPANIONS TO ANTHROPOLOGY A Companion to Folklore

"A Companion to Folklore is nothing if not international, and this quality alone distinguishes it from most earlier reference works and makes it an important resource for the field." Western Folklore

"Nearly all college and university libraries will want this book. Summing up: Essential." Choice

"This book presents challenging and inspiring essays about a field that is often misconceived as the harbor of tradition. The volume succeeds in representing folklore as a vital component of human existence and folkloristics as an indispensable discipline within the humanities." Prof. Dr. Ulrich Marzolph, Enzyklopädie des Märchens, Göttingen

"Magisterial, engaging, smart, and always thought-provoking, A Companion to Folklore both reflects and will help shape the broad and increasingly interdisciplinary ambit - and promise - of the field." Don Brenneis, University of California, Santa Cruz

A Companion to Folklore contains an original and comprehensive set of essays from international experts in the field of folklore studies. This state-of-the-art collection uniquely displays the vitality of folklore research across the globe. The Companion covers four main areas: the first section engages with the practices and theoretical approaches developed to understand the phenomena of folklore; the second discusses the distinctive shapes that folklore studies have taken in different locations in time and space; the third examines the interaction of folklore with various media, as well as folklore's commodification. In the final section on practice, essays offer insights into how folklorists work, what they do, and ways in which they have institutionalized their field. The result is a unique reflection and understanding of the profoundly different research histories and current perspectives on international research in the field.

Author Biography

Regina F. Bendix is Professor of Cultural Anthropology/European Ethnology at Georg-August-University in Göttingen, Germany.

Galit Hasan-Rokem is Max and Margarethe Grunwald Professor of Folklore, and Professor of Hebrew Literature at the Mandel Institute of Jewish Studies at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem, Israel.