Folklife

Folklife is an extension of, and often an alternate term for the subject of, folklore. The term gained usage in the United States in the 1960s from its use by such folklore scholars as Don Yoder and Warren Roberts, who wished to recognize that the study of folklore goes beyond oral genres to include all aspects of everyday life including material culture (craft, vernacular architecture, etc.). In Europe, especially Great Britain, Ireland and the Scandinavian countries, the study of folklife, called European ethnology, manifests itself in folk museums. The journal 'Ulster Folklife' first appeared in 1955. 'Folk Life: Journal of Ethnological Studies' was first published in 1963 and is now issued twice a year. In the United States, the term is often used in the title of research-based folklife festivals presenting the full range of traditional culture including music, dance, storytelling, crafts, costume, foodways, holidays, life-cycle rituals, and occupational skills. Folklife also includes the study of belief systems, including folk religion, folk medicine, and popular beliefs (the term preferred over "superstitions" by folklorists).