An unprecedented number of folklorists are addressing issues of class, race, gender, and sexuality in academic and public spaces in the US, raising the question: How can folklorists contribute to these contemporary political affairs? Since the nature of folkloristics transcends binaries, can it help others develop critical personal narratives? Advancing Folkloristics covers topics such as queer, feminist, and postcolonial scholarship in folkloristics. Contributors investigate how to apply folkloristic approaches in non-folklore classrooms, how to maintain a folklorist identity without a "folklorist" job title, and how to use folkloristic knowledge to interact with others outside of the discipline. The chapters, which range from theoretical reorientations to personal experiences of folklore work, all demonstrate the kinds of work folklorists are well-suited to and promote the areas in which folkloristics is poised to expand and excel. Advancing Folkloristics presents a clear picture of folklore studies today and articulates how it must adapt in the future.
"This ambitious volume repositions the field of folklore in the context of numerous emerging perspectives including queer theory, intersectionality, feminism, (de)colonization, and anti-racism. . . . This dizzying array of topics reveals the complexities of folkloristics and the considerable intellectual and ethical affordances of working in a transdisciplinary manner to highlight the meaning-maki
T. R. Tangherlini
"Inspired by presentations and discussions at the 2017Future of American Folkloristics Conference held at Indiana University, the essays in this collection discussand, in some cases, illustrate ways to build a strongpath forward for the discipline and those who are (orare studying to be) practicing folklorists in public and academic contexts. . . . Overall, the collection will be thought-provoking
Martha Sims
"Advancing Folkloristics arrives at a pivotal moment for the intersecting trajectories of our field and the United States. Championing and modeling our profession's highest aspirations and best work in a time of mingled peril and promise, its arrival is welcome."
James P. Leary - University of Wisconsin–Madison
