I’m a Folklorist and You’re Not: Expansive versus Delimited Strategies in the Practice of Folklore

Abstract

Abstract As advocates for the discipline in the public sector and the academy, folklorists have practiced both expansive and delimited strategies in promulgating the field. The delimited stance carefully defines and limits the discipline, studies its own history, strives for professionalization, and creates a justification for an autonomous field. The expansive posture, on the other hand, tries to establish alliances and explores other disciplines freely, asserting that other arts and humanities fields have as much right to practice folklore as folklorists have to practice those fields. Expansive positions often reach out to new members, constituencies, and audiences; delimited strategies often insist on criteria and standards for inclusion in the field. In the history of folklore studies and public programs, both strategies have proven effective in particular situations and contexts. In fact, the two strategies often work together to further the discipline. When successful, they disseminate and advance the core ideas of the field.