THEORIZING FOLKLORE FROM THE MARGINS

The study of folklore has historically focused on the daily life and culture of regular people, such as artisans, storytellers, and craftspeople. But what can folklore reveal about strategies of belonging, survival, and reinvention in moments of crisis?

The experience of living in hostile conditions for cultural, social, political, or economic reasons has redefined communities in crisis. The curated works in Theorizing Folklore from the Margins offer clear and feasible suggestions for how to ethically engage in the study of folklore with marginalized populations. By focusing on issues of critical race and ethnic studies, decolonial and antioppressive methodologies, and gender and sexuality studies, contributors employ a wide variety of disciplines and theoretical approaches. In doing so, they reflect the transdisciplinary possibilities of Folklore studies.

By bridging the gap between theory and practice, Theorizing Folklore from the Margins confirms that engaging with oppressed communities is not only relevant, but necessary.

Solimar Otero is Professor of Folklore in the Department of Folklore and Ethnomusicology at Indiana University. She is author ofArchives of Conjure: Stories of theDead in Afrolatinx Cultures and ofAfro-Cuban Diasporas in the Atlantic World. She is editor (with Toyin Falola) ofYemoja: Gender, Sexuality, and Creativity in the Latina/o and Afro-Atlantic Diasporas. Mintzi Auanda Martínez-Rivera is Assistant Professor of Anthropology in the Department of Sociology and Anthropology at Providence College. She has published articles on the indigenous rock movement in Mexico, indigenous popular culture, and the use of food as decorations.