Socialist and Post-Socialist Area Studies Section of the American Folklore Society

Socialist and post-socialist countries have rich traditions of folklore in oral performance, literature, and material culture as well as long-standing local research traditions. At the same time, new nation-states, such as the former Soviet republics, struggle with issues of ethnic identity, nationalism, and post-colonialism. During the past two decades, there has also been an explosion of interest among external scholars in post-socialist vernacular cultures. Folklorists working in these societies could benefit from sharing their research and interacting with each other.

The Socialist and Post-Socialist Area Studies Section of the American Folklore Society aims at enhancing opportunities for sharing scholarship and carrying out projects among folklorists working in these areas. The group plans to convene annually at the AFS Conference, sponsor panels for the AFS Conference, promote publication in the area of specialization, maintain a directory of members on the AFS website, and coordinate efforts with the Central Eurasian Studies Society and Soyuz. None of these initially recommended activities would require paying dues. Additional activities could be considered at the first business meeting of the Socialist and Post-Socialist Area Studies Section at the 2010 AFS annual meeting in Nashville.

Please direct any questions or suggestions for the section to the two co-conveners:

Erik Aasland, PhD Candidate at Fuller Graduate School of Intercultural Studies

Elo-Hanna Seljamaa, PhD Candidate at the Ohio State University, Dept. of Comparative Studies; Dept. of Estonian and Comparative Folklore, University of Tartu

 

This AFS section does not charge dues to its members. To join the section, please contact the convener(s) named above.