THE VI INTERNATIONAL TRAINING COURSE FOR THE STUDY OF FOLKLORE AND TRADITIONAL CULTURE
The sixth international training course for the study of folklore and traditional culture, the Folklore Fellows’ Summer School, will be held on August 1-14, 2001 at the Lammi Research Station of the University of Helsinki. The course will provide training in theory and methodology of folklore studies and is intended for scholars, doctoral students, university teachers and archivists in folklore institutions and elsewhere. The general topic of the Folklore Fellows’ Summer School 2001 is
MEMORY, RECOLLECTION AND CREATIVITY.
The main theme refers to the significance of folklore as the art of memory, its recollection and reinvention in performance. Contemporary cultural processes emphasize the importance of research on cultural diversity and creativity in all parts of the world. The continuity of traditions, cultural practices and values, and the traditional poetic languages are still of interest, but numerous transitions are taking place in the world at the same time, in most cases due to the emergence of new economic and political regimes. This also involves rapid advances in intercultural communication, especially in the changing environments of multilingual and multicultural processes.
In addition to lectures focusing on the theory and methods of folklore studies, the summer school will concentrate on the means and substance provided by folklore for the evaluation and transmission of individual and common experiences. Special attention will be paid to the creation of the self and the inventiveness of tradition in the shifting contexts of multicultural and multilingual localities. Discussion of these questions leads to the problems of responsibility and ethics in folklore studies. One further topic for discussion is the cultural division of labour. This concept underlines the systematic differences in competence and uses of folklore in society.
The programme also includes a visit to the Folklore Archive of the Finnish Literature Society, the main folklore archive in Finland, for an introduction to new forms of documentation and taxonomy.
As in previous years, the recruitment for the course will be global. There will be 30 participants, divided into four groups according to interests, 8-10 lecturers and 4 group leaders. The work in groups will be intensive, consisting of discussions, exercises and a group report.
The course is open to both established and younger scholars, including persons who are writing their doctoral dissertations. All participants will receive a course certificate and associate membership of the Folklore Fellows. This will allow them to follow future developments in scholarly training and to hear about publications, etc. In other words, the contacts between FFSS and participants will continue after the course.
The participation fee is USD 500, including board and lodging at Lammi. Participants may in limited cases apply for travel grants if unable to secure support in their home country.
The teaching language will be English. The deadline for applications on the form included in FF Network is October 31, 2000. Applications should be sent to:
Folklore Fellows’ Summer School
Department of Folklore, P.O.Box 59
FIN-00014 Helsinki University, Finland
telefax (intl.) 358-9-19122970
| Anna-Leena Siikala, Academy Professor FFSS 2001, Chair |
Lauri Harvilahti, Professor FFSS 2001, Secretary General |