The American Folklore Society is home to more than 30 special-interest groups that serve as gathering places and forums within the Society for people with common interests in the field.

Section Activities

Many groups serve primarily as conversation groups, and simply hold gatherings at the Society’s annual meeting where members can share news about work in their areas of interest.

Other sections are active throughout the year:

• Some sections maintain on-going discussions in their areas of interest using the group tools on the AFS website, listservs or other social media tools, like Facebook or Google groups. AFS Sections that foster online discussion off of the AFS website may be found on Online Folklore Communities and Discussion Groups, an editable directory that can be found under Folklore Commons/Folklore Wiki/Publications and Communications.
  
• Some sections give prizes to recognize and encourage good work in their area(s) of interest.
• A few sections produce publications. Subscriptions to these publications are included in Section membership.
• Find out more about the specific activities of individual Sections by checking their pages in the AFS Section list. If you still have questions, contact the conveners listed on each page for more information.
  

Section Membership

Anyone may join AFS Sections. You must have a current membership -- as an AFS member or as a free Sections Only member -- to add or renew AFS Sections. When you join or renew your membership, you will be offered an opportunity to select Sections before you submit your registration. If you already have a current membership, you can add Sections in the Online Store. See FAQ: Sections if you have further questions about this process. 

Members of AFS special-interest groups can fully participate in a group-member-only online community within the AFS website itself, which supports collaboration via group web pages, wikis, forums, blogs and galleries. (For more about AFS online tools, see FAQ). Note: This capability is relatively new, and many AFS Sections do not use the online tools. Any member may initiate discussion or file sharing. For help, contact your Section convener or Associate Director Lorraine Walsh Cashman.

Most Sections charge annual dues to support activities such as prizes and publications; the dues amount varies from Section to Section. See AFS Sections--At a Glance to see current rates.

Section Conveners

See Important Information for AFS Section Conveners for information about the Convener's role and responsibilities.