Abstract
This article first outlines the long history of folklore collection in China, and then describes the disciplinary development in the 20th century. In Section 3, it presents the current situation in terms of disciplinary infrastructure, development, contribution, and challenge, with a focus on the recent practice of safeguarding Intangible Cultural Heritage. These accounts are largely based on the views of the Chinese folklorists. In the final section, this article discusses the issues of cultural continuity, integration, and self-healing mechanisms in Chinese culture by putting Chinese folkloristics in a historical and world perspective. This paper suggests that, to understand Chinese folklore and culture, one must be aware of the most basic differences between Chinese fundamental beliefs and values and those of theWest, and that Chinese folklore and folkloristics present new challenges to the current paradigms put forward in the post-colonial, post-modern, and imperial ideologies.
Highlights
The goal of this article is four-fold: (1) to outline the distinctive stages of folklore collection, categorization, and use in Chinese history; (2) to examine the rise and development of folkloristics in China; (3) to understand Chinese folkloristics in its broad cultural context; and (4) based on the Chinese case, to discuss the role of folkloristics “at the very center of humanistic study” (Wilson 1988, p. 158).This article is intended to use the Chinese case as an interpretative framework in an international context to make sense of the development of folkloristics in China
“at the heart of the folkloristic project” (Oring 1994, pp. 221–23, 226), we will look at Folklore as the dynamic process of maintaining identity within a broad cultural entity; (2) The vitality of folklore practice lies in its mechanism of maintaining the fundamental beliefs and values in the culture, a mechanism that must be inclusive and dynamic to allow it to keep its self-healing competence in order to survive and thrive when facing vital social changes
The central question in this interpretive account of Chinese folklore and folkloristics is: What role does folklore play in the process of maintaining a culture—such as that of the Chinese—that is ancient and is characterized by diverse beliefs, languages, and customs? To answer this question, this article stresses the distinctive uses or functions of folklore in Chinese history, in addition to the universal functions of folklore (e.g., Bascom 1954), by paying attention to both its social and cultural contexts
Summary
The goal of this article is four-fold: (1) to outline the distinctive stages of folklore collection, categorization, and use in Chinese history; (2) to examine the rise and development of folkloristics in China; (3) to understand Chinese folkloristics in its broad cultural context; and (4) based on the Chinese case, to discuss the role of folkloristics “at the very center of humanistic study” (Wilson 1988, p. 158). The goal of this article is four-fold: (1) to outline the distinctive stages of folklore collection, categorization, and use in Chinese history; (2) to examine the rise and development of folkloristics in China; (3) to understand Chinese folkloristics in its broad cultural context; and (4) based on the Chinese case, to discuss the role of folkloristics “at the very center of humanistic study” This article is intended to use the Chinese case as an interpretative framework in an international context to make sense of the development of folkloristics in China. Such an interpretive approach is based on these principles: (1) Since “the question of identity has always been central in folklore studies”.
Sign-in/Register to view highlights & summary Talk to us
Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have
Schedule a callDisclaimer: All third-party content on this website/platform is and will remain the property of their respective owners and is provided on "as is" basis without any warranties, express or implied. Use of third-party content does not indicate any affiliation, sponsorship with or endorsement by them. Any references to third-party content is to identify the corresponding services and shall be considered fair use under The CopyrightLaw.
