Living Folklore is 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, interpretive approaches, and fieldwork.

Many teachers of undergraduates find the available folklore textbooks too complex or unwieldy for an introductory level course. It is precisely this criticism that Living Folklore addresses; while comprehensive and rigorous, the book is specifically intended to meet the needs of those students who are just beginning their study of the discipline. Its real strength lies in how it combines carefully articulated foundational concepts with relevant examples and a student-oriented teaching philosophy.

Contents
Acknowledgments 000
Preface 000
1 Folklore 000
What is folklore? 000
A working definition 000
Scholarly definitions of folklore 000
Genres of folklore 000
Defining folklore beyond genre labels: texts and contexts 000
A brief history of folklore study 000
2 Groups 000
What is a folk group? 000
Definitions 000
How folk groups form 000
Self-identification and group membership 000
Family, school and occupational groups 000
Family 000
School groups 000
Occupational groups 000
Example: folklore in the music store 000
Groups and belief 000
Example: belief and contemporary legends 000
3 Tradition 000
What is tradition? 000
Tradition is both lore and process 000
Tradition helps to create and confirm a sense of identity 000
Identified as a tradition by the community 000
How do people learn and share traditions? 000
Example: Tradition in our daily lives 000
Do traditions disappear? 000
Dynamic and conservative elements of tradition 000
Inventing tradition 000
The question of authenticity 000
Example: traditions in folk art 000
4 Ritual 000
What is ritual? 000
Low-context and high-context rituals 000
Invented ritual 000
The question of belief in sacred and secular rituals 000
Liminality and ritual space 000
Types of rituals 000
Rites of passage 000
Coming of age rituals 000
Initiation rituals 000
Naming rituals 000
Example: rituals and private and public identity 000
5 Performance 000
What is performance? 000
Example: a proverbial performance 000
The study of performance 000
Performance texts 000
Texture 000
Context 000
Physical context 000
Social context 000
Recognizing texts in context: performance markers/framing 000
Reflexivity 000
Emergence 000
Folklore that pushes the boundaries 000
Example: performance that transcends roles and rules 000
Aesthetics 000
Critic v. group consensus 000
Traditionality 000
Skill 000
Practicality 000
The nature of aesthetic response 000
Personal narrative in performance 000
6 Approaches to interpreting folklore 000
Functionalism 000
Structuralism 000
Psychoanalytic interpretation 000
Post-structuralist approaches 000
Feminist interpretations 000
Reciprocal ethnography 000
Intersectionality 000
7 Fieldwork and ethnography 000
Collecting data: the nuts and bolts of fieldwork 000
Accessing information 000
Getting started on fieldwork 000
Developing and asking good questions 000
Some types of questions: 000
Example: using open-ended questions 000
Field notes 000
Example: write-up of field notes 000
Transcribing and transcripts 000
Returning from the field: follow-up research 000
The people factor: interpersonal and ethical concerns 000
Insider and outsider roles 000
Observation and participant-observation roles 000
Rapport: creating and understanding researcher-consultant 
relationships 000
Example: complex relationships and responsibilities. 000
Ethics 000
8 Examples of folklore projects 000
One of the guys (Joe Ringler) 000
Gay rituals: outing, biking, and sewing (Mickey Weems) 000
Roadside memorials: material focus of love, devotion, and
remembrance (Gary E. A. Saum) 000
The art of gunsmithing in central Ohio: Heritage Gunsmiths,
Inc. (Kevin Eyster) 000
9 Suggestions for activities and projects 000
Group and classroom activities 000
Personal reflection 000
Library research 000
Fieldwork projects 000
Integrated projects-bringing it all together 000
Notes 000
References 000
Index 000

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