American folklore studies and social transformation

A performance-centered perspective

Bibliographic Data

ID2682811
AuthorsRichard Bauman (Indiana University, corresponding author)
Year1989
Volume9
Issue3
Pages175-184
Publication date1989-07-01
Open AccessNo
TypeBOOK
VenueText and Performance Quarterly (JOURNAL)
Journal identifiersISSN: 1046-2937 • E-ISSN: 1479-5760
PublisherInforma UK Limited (PUBLISHER • GB)
DOI10.1080/10462938909365929
OpenAlexW2026181451
LanguageEN
Citations received18
References cited21

This essay examines the potential contributions of a performance-centered perspective to the study of the relationship between folklore and social transformation. It argues that performance theory, particularly its emphasis on the emergent, processual nature of communicative events, offers a valuable corrective to more static, text-based approaches to folklore. By focusing on the dynamic interplay between communicative resources, individual creativity, and sociocultural context, a performance approach allows for a more nuanced understanding of how folklore both reflects and shapes social change. The essay explores this dynamic through a discussion of specific examples, including the use of traditional narratives in political rallies and the emergence of new forms of folklore in online communities

Aesthetics · Art · Epistemology · Folklore · Formative assessment · Literature · Modernity · Narrative · Poetics · Poetry · Political science · Reflexivity · Social change · Social science · Social transformation · Sociology · Storytelling · Transformative learning · Anthropology · Folklore, Mythology, and Literature Studies · Music History and Culture · Theater, Performance, and Music History

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