Living Folklore, An Introduction to the Study of People and Their Traditions 2005.pdf

Living
Folklor



An Introduction
to the Study of People
and Their Traditions
Martha C. Sims
Martine Stephens
Living Folklore
Living Folklore
An Introduction to the Study of People
and Their Traditions
Martha C. Sims
The Ohio State University
Martine Stephens
Ohio Wesleyan University
Utah State University Press / Logan, Utah
Utah State University Press
Logan, Utah 84322-7800
© 2005 Utah State University Press
All rights reserved
Manufactured in the United States of America
Cover design by Barbara Yale-Read
Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data
ISBN 0-87421-611-7
Sims, Martha C., 1963-
Living folklore : an introduction to the study of people and their traditions / Martha C. Sims,
Martine Stephens.
p. cm.
Includes bibliographical references and index.
ISBN 0-87421-611-7 (hardcover : alk. paper)
1. Folklore--Methodology. 2. Folklore--Field work. 3. Folklore--Performance. 4. Manners and
customs. 5.
Rites and ceremonies. I. Stephens, Martine, 1959- II. Title.
2005
398’.072--dc22
2005011837
Contents
Acknowledgments ix
Preface xi
1 Folklore 1
What is folklore? 1
A working defi nition 1
Scholarly defi nitions of folklore 8
Genres of folklore 12
Defi ning folklore beyond genre labels: texts and contexts 19
A brief history of folklore study 21
2 Groups 30
What is a folk group? 31
Defi nitions 34
How folk groups form 38
Self-identifi cation and group membership 41
Family, school and occupational groups 44
Family 45
School groups 47
Occupational groups 50
Example: folklore in the music store 53
Groups and belief 56
Example: belief and contemporary legends 60
3 Tradition 64
What is tradition? 64
Tradition is both lore and process 65
Tradition helps to create and confi rm a sense of identity 66
Identifi ed as a tradition by munity 68
How do people learn and share traditions? 68
Example: tradition in our daily lives 72
Do traditions disappear? 74
Dy