Review of: Jawaharlal Handoo, ed. _Folklore in Modern India_ (1998)

The Journal of Asian Studies, 2007

South Asian History and Culture, 2017

The study of folklore served an important role in the development of South Asian Studies, yet, ironically, folklore was mostly studied in relation to classical Sanskrit texts within academe. The study of vernacular folklore was, on the other hand, relegated to amateurs and collectors, but with the publication of an important volume, tellingly titled Another Harmony (1986), since it revised the folk/classical divide, folklore reentered areal studies with a newer generation of scholars who were interested in a variety of new approaches that went beyond the textual interface. This introduction briefly traces that history then introduces the current set of papers to point out both the problems and prospects of returning to the folkloristic project.

Anthropology and Folklore Studies in India: An Overview , 2020

Anthropology has a long tradition of folklore studies. Anthropologist studied both the aspect of folklore i.e. life and lore. Folklore became a popular medium in anthropological studies and using emic approach researchers try to find out the inner meaning of different aspects of culture. This paper focused on the major approaches of the study of Anthropology and Folklore. It is an attempt to classify different phases of Anthropology of Folklore studies in India and understand the historical development of Anthropology of Folklore studies in India. It is observed that, both theoretical and methodological approaches were changed with the time and new branches are emerged with different dimensions.

2017

Structure 2.0 Objectives 2.1 Introduction 2.2 Early philology and the Grimm Brothers 2.3 W. J. Thoms and the word 'folklore' 2.4 Folklore and ideology 2.5 Different academic approaches 2.6 Growth of folklore studies in India 2.6.1 The missionary period 2.6.2 The nationalist period 2.6.3 The academic period 2.7 Let us sum up 2.8 References and further readings 2.9 Check your progress: possible answers 2.0 OBJECTIVES After reading this Unit, you will be able to: understand the beginning and growth of folklore studies, in India in particular, and in the other parts of the world in general; explain the ideological contexts for the study of, and interest in, folklore; and explain the diversity of perceptions about folklore in different places and at different times.

The Ad Litteram Journal, 2022

Do the tribes call themselves tribals or do we call them the tribals? These are the exact words with which one of my course instructors during my M.Phil. coursework from the University of Delhi decided to open his introductory class on Oral Tradition and Tribal Literature (in India). This conspicuous enquiry prompted an uncomfortable silence in the class because the answer to this immediately demanded, one, a deep revaluation of certain prejudiced assumptions about indigenous people’s communities, and second, to realise the ways in which knowledge usually moves from the center to the margin when it comes to the identification and representation of marginalized communities. Later, a more fieldwork-based approach to research into regional culture, oral narratives and belief practices with the help of appropriate tools allowed most of us to sensitize ourselves to view the marginalized communities being more than just ‘beneficiaries’ of government schemes. What emerged was a gaze ‘inward’, a step backward from the mainstream and identify the inequalities. In purview of this larger background, the present paper purposes to array a certain aspect of how folklore studies in independent India is deciphered and practiced. This is attempted on the basis of taking notes from emergent discussions by various scholars of Indian folklore studies, by considering fresh perspectives on tribal lore and life, by ruminating over various sources of Indian mythology and other overlooked parameters. This paper is qualitative in nature and intends to highlight the significance of folklore studies as a knowledge driven discipline that allows a systematic study of all the living songs, stories, belief narratives and performances of the common people that never got represented in the curriculum books.

History of folklore conveys that folklore is the assimilation of human sensations, feelings, philosophy of life, material culture and lore since time immemorial. Folklore is always dominated by the social, cultural, economical and the political consequences with the flow of human life. This research paper reviews the tradition of Indian folklore and British based folklore studies in India. Moreover, the research paper reveals the nature, scope, studies and the corrade of postcolonial folklore in India and its applications. The prime objective of this research paper is the comparative study of pre-colonial, colonial and postcolonial Indian folklore. Finally, it ends with suggestions for theoretical reorientation breaking down the rigid distinction between masses and classes.

Lokaratna Vol XIV (2), 2021

The peer-reviewed International Journal on Folklore contains articles related to Indian folklore, cultural studies ,literature, oral tradition, myth ritual theory, language and pedagogy