Folklore Studies

• The American Folk-Art Museum 

  The American Folk-Art Museum has been the leading institution shaping the understanding of art by the self-taught through its exhibitions, publications, and educational programs.

• The American Folklife Center at the Library of Congress 

  One of the largest archives of ethnographic materials from the United States and around the world, encompassing millions of items of ethnographic and historical documentation recorded from the nineteenth century to the present.

• American Routes 

  Folklorist Nick Spitzer, often an emcee for annual concerts honoring NEA Heritage Fellows, hosts a weekly public radio show on the traditional roots and routes of American pop music. Find an archive of past shows featuring interviews with noted roots musicians, including many National Heritage Fellows.

• anthro{dendum} 

  A group blog devoted to ‘doing anthropology in public’ — providing well-written relevant discussion of sociocultural anthropology that everyone will find accessible.

• AT Types of Folklore 

  An open-access website that explains the A-T numbers outlined in The Types of International Folktales: a classification and bibliography, based on the system of Antti Aarne and Stith Thompson.

• Autoethnography: An Overview 

  Autoethnography combines autobiography and ethnography in an attempt to describe culture and society.

• Documenting the American South 

  Contains primary resources for the study of southern history, literature, and culture, cataloged according to the Library of Congress Subject headings.

• Ethnography, Observational Methods, and Narrative Inquiry 

  A writing guide organized by Colorado State University; serves to explain the various types of qualitative observational research.

• Florida Memory Project 

  Provides free online access to select archival resources from the collections of the State Library and Archives of Florida. Florida Memory chooses materials for digitization that spotlight significant events and individuals in the state's history.

• Folklore Studies Digital Resources 

  Compiled by Indiana University.

• Folkstreams 

  A non-profit dedicated to contextualizing, finding, preserving, and showcasing documentary films on American traditional cultures.

• Folkvine 

  A highly interactive website that features a unique blend of Florida folk artists.

• Frank M. Hohenberger Photograph Collection 

  Photographer and newspaperman Frank Hohenberger spent approximately forty-seven years recording the life, customs, and scenes of the hills of Brown County, Indiana, with side trips and hired assignments in other areas of Indiana, Kentucky, South Carolina, and Mexico.

• How to do Ethnography Research: A Simplified Guide 

  Compiled by Barbara Hall, this guide provides general, simplified information about how to conduct and write up the results of ethnographic research.

• Internet Public Library Folklore Pathfinder 

  American Folklife Resources. Provides an overview of Folklife, lists printed and network resources, as well as teaching resources, and online exhibits.

• Irish Sheet Music Archives 

  Home of the online sheet music collections found in the Ward Irish Music Archive. Search over 5,000 pieces of Irish and Irish American themed sheet music.

• Mass Observation Online 

  Launched in 1981, The Mass Observation Archive gathers documents about ‘everyday life’ in Britain through the Mass Observation Project.

• Masters of Traditional Arts 

  Highlights the works of National Heritage Fellows through biographies, photos, and music.

• Museum of International Folk Art 

  The home to the world’s largest collection of folk art. The collection of more than 135,000 artifacts forms the basis for exhibitions in four distinct wings: Bartlett, Girard, Hispanic Heritage, and Neutrogena.

• National Museum of the American Indian 

  In partnership with Native peoples and their allies, the National Museum of the American Indian fosters a richer shared human experience through a more informed understanding of Native peoples.

• The Open School of Ethnography and Anthropology (OSEA) 

  A non-degree school that offers ethnographic training programs to undergraduates and graduate students, including a summer field school, a winter ethnography study abroad program, and an ethnography writer's workshop. Programs are held in Yucatán, México.

• Professional Development in Folklore: A Resource Guide for Graduate Students and New Professionals 

  This 35-page document has some valuable information for anyone wanting to read more about professional resources about folklorists.

• Smithsonian Center for Folklife and Cultural Heritage 

  A research and educational unit of the Smithsonian Institution that produces the Smithsonian Folklife Festival, Smithsonian Folkways Recordings, exhibitions, documentary films and videos, publications, and educational materials.

• Smithsonian Folkways 

  A nonprofit record label. This website has disseminated audio recordings and educational materials, with a focus on cultural heritage.

• StoryCorps 

  StoryCorps’ mission is to provide people of all backgrounds and beliefs with the opportunity to record, preserve, and share the stories of our lives. Since 2003, StoryCorps has collected and archived more than 50,000 interviews with over 100,000 participants. Each conversation is recorded on a CD to share and is preserved at the American Folklife Center at the Library of Congress.

• SurLaLune Fairy Tales 

  Features 49 annotated fairy tales, including their histories, similar tales across cultures, modern interpretations, and over 1,500 illustrations.

• A Synthesis of Ethnographic Research 

  A brief exploration of ethnographic research by Dr. Michael Genzuk.

• Traditional Ballad Index 

  Searchable via keyword and title, the Traditional Ballad Index also functions as an annotated bibliography of Folk Songs of the English-Speaking World.

• What is Ethnography? 

  Dr. Brian A. Hoey discusses his background in the field of Anthropology and explores his experiences with ethnography.

   

Folklore Associations and Societies

• American Ethnological Society 

  A society that promotes ethnography and relevant, cutting-edge theory in cultural anthropology.
• American Folklore Society 

  A society that serves the field of folklore studies; it is comprised of individuals and institutions that study and communicate knowledge about folklore throughout the world.
• Florida Folklore Society 

  A strong supporter of traditional culture and folklife projects in Florida; they wish to advance the appreciation, research, and study of folklore in all of its aspects.
• International Society for Contemporary Legend Research (ISCLR) 

  An international study that encourages the study of so-called “modern” and “urban” legends. 
• International Society for Ethnology and Folklore (SIEF) 

  An international organization that facilitates and stimulates cooperation among scholars working within European Ethnology, Folklore Studies, Cultural Anthropology, and adjoining fields.
• International Society for Folk Narrative Research (ISFNR) 

  Develops scholarly work in the field of folk narrative research, facilitate networking, and the exchange of views among its members.
• Oral History Association 

  Seeks to bring together all individuals interested in oral history as a way of collecting and interpreting human memories to foster knowledge and human dignity.
• Society for Ethnomusicology 

  Dedicated to the study of all forms of music from diverse humanistic and social scientific perspectives.
• Society for Storytelling 

  Provides a central place to find out about storytelling events, to ask for advice about storytelling, and workshops to help you find your individual voice as a new storyteller.