Folklore and Ethnology of the Modern World

A Theory of Cultural Engagement
1. Auflage 2025
ISBN: 978-1-032-62558-4
Verlag: Taylor & Francis Ltd

Buch, Englisch, 244 Seiten, Format (B × H): 156 mm x 234 mm

In Folklore and Ethnology of the Modern World, Simon Bronner identifies “cultural engagements” that people use to reconcile tradition and modernity, and confront the anxieties of the present by bringing together the past, often represented by tradition, and the immediate digital, unreal future. These socially bounded, symbol-laden practices integrate ritual, play, narrative, and object with the instrumental purpose of confronting paradoxes and tensions of modern life. They provide the basis for a theory of how people cope culturally with change that appears to be outside of their control.

Bronner explains the social and psychological complexities of cultural engagements with case studies from different parts of the world connected by their often politicized clash between tradition and modernity. The book explains the growth of strongman contests that challenge the prevalent ”fast capitalism” associated with cybermodernity, the responses to suppression of naval hazing traditions in Europe and America, the ubiquitous infusion of magical thinking into email practices , the “meme diplomacy” in the border wars between India and Pakistan and the projection of conflict onto cricket matches, and the global implications of the rise of “algorithmic folklore” in an AI future.

This clear and accessible book is an essential read for anyone approaching the ethnological study of folklore and its interaction with modern society and culture.

Zielgruppe

Postgraduate and Undergraduate Advanced

Autoren/Hrsg.

Bronner, Simon J.

Fachgebiete

• Geisteswissenschaften Literaturwissenschaft Kinder- und Jugendliteratur, Märchen, Mythen, Sagen
• Sozialwissenschaften Soziologie | Soziale Arbeit Soziologie Allgemein
• Sozialwissenschaften Soziologie | Soziale Arbeit Spezielle Soziologie Soziologie des Brauchtums und der Traditionen
• Sozialwissenschaften Ethnologie | Volkskunde Volkskunde Volkskunde: Sitten, Traditionen, Mythen, Legenden

Inhaltsverzeichnis

List of Figures, Preface and Acknowledgments, Introduction: Folk to the Fore, 1. Engaging Body and Mind: The Folk Idea of the Past, 2. Engaging People and Power: The Folk Idea of the Present, 3. Engaging Place and Technology: The Folk Idea of the Future, Epilogue: Modern to the Core, Bibliography, Index

Über Autor(innen)

Simon J. Bronner is Distinguished Professor of Social Sciences at the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee, USA. He is the author and editor of over 40 books, including award-winning Folklore: The Basics (2016), The Practice of Folklore (2019), and Explaining Traditions (2015). He received the Lifetime Scholarly Achievement Award from the American Folklore Society.