Folklore is the body of verbal expressive culture, including tales, legends, oral history, proverbs, jokes, popular beliefs current among a particular population, comprising the oral tradition of that culture, subculture, or group. The academic and usually ethnographic study of folklore is known as folkloristics.

History

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The concept of folklore developed as part of the 19th century ideology of romantic nationalism, leading to the reshaping of oral traditions to serve modern ideological goals; only in the 20th century did ethnographers begin to attempt to record folklore without overt political goals. The Brothers Grimm, Wilhelm and Jakob Grimm, collected orally transmitted German tales and published the first series as Kinder- und Hausmärchen ("Children's and Household Tales") in 1812.

The term was coined in 1846 by an Englishman, William Thoms, who wanted to use an Anglo-Saxon term for what was then called "popular antiquities." Johann Gottfried von Herder first advocated the deliberate recording and preservation of folklore to document the authentic spirit, tradition, and identity of the German people; the belief that there can be such authenticity is one of the tenets of the romantic nationalism which Herder developed. The definition most widely accepted by current scholars of the field is "artistic communication in small groups," coined by Dan Ben-Amos a scholar at the University of Pennsylvania, and the term, and the associated field of study, now include non-verbal art forms and customary practices.

More on [ Folklore ]

BBC News | Europe | World Edition

Russia faces fresh condemnation
Wed, 27 Aug 2008 21:13:38 -0000
Seven of the world's top industrialised nations deplore Russia's decision to recognise Georgia's breakaway regions.
Malta fears 71 migrants drowned
Wed, 27 Aug 2008 18:33:53 -0000
As many as 71 African migrants drown after their boat sinks in the Mediterranean Sea, their companions tell Maltese police.
Oslo trial for Bosnia war suspect
Wed, 27 Aug 2008 18:12:25 -0000
A Bosnian-born man pleads not guilty in Norway's first war crimes trial since the end of World War II.

NYT > Europe

Russia Adopts Blustery Tone Set by Envoy
Thu, 28 Aug 2008 04:43:59 -0000
Russia’s representative to NATO, Dmitri O. Rogozin, often derided for his forceful style, is now taken more seriously.
NATO Ships in Black Sea Raise Alarms in Russia
Thu, 28 Aug 2008 06:03:39 -0000
Russian commanders said they were growing alarmed at the number of NATO warships sailing into the Black Sea.
Fifth Arrest in Suspected Plot Against British Leaders
Thu, 28 Aug 2008 05:42:48 -0000
Police investigating a suspected conspiracy to assassinate Prime Minister Gordon Brown and his predecessor, Tony Blair, arrested a 29-year-old man, the fifth arrest in two weeks.

L.A. Times - Europe

Spanish town blushes with annual tomato fight
Wed, 27 Aug 2008 10:43:00 -0700
Spanish revelers have pelted each with 113 tons of ripe tomatoes in an annual food fight.
Georgia looks for the silver lining
Thu, 28 Aug 2008 00:00:00 -0700
Despite devastating losses from the war with Russia, leaders think the West now sees Moscow's true colors and will redouble support. Many of this small onetime Soviet republic's most dreaded nightmares have come, suddenly, to pass.
West struggles to counter Moscow's move
Wed, 27 Aug 2008 00:00:00 -0700
The Kremlin's speedy recognition of the independence of two breakaway republics of Georgia puts pressure on the U.S. and allies to come up with ways to punish Russia. The Bush administration and its European allies, stung by Russia's formal recognition of two separatist Georgian enclaves, faced new pressure Tuesday to strike back diplomatically and politically against the Kremlin's widening move to assert its power in the Caucasus.

UN News Centre - Europe

In Zaragoza, UN spotlights use of nuclear technology to protect water resources
Wed, 27 Aug 2008 00:00:00 -0500
The United Nations agency tasked with promoting safe, secure and peaceful nuclear technologies will be showcasing its efforts to protect the world's water resources at a major exhibition currently being held in the Spanish city of Zaragoza.
Former staffer at UN's Balkans war crimes tribunal facing contempt charges
Wed, 27 Aug 2008 00:00:00 -0500
A former prosecution spokesperson at the United Nations war crimes tribunal set up to deal with the Balkan conflicts of the 1990s was today charged with contempt of court for allegedly disclosing confidential information relating to the case of Slobodan Milošević.
Resolving Georgian crisis may be harder after Russian move - Ban
Tue, 26 Aug 2008 00:00:00 -0500
The question of recognition of States is a matter for sovereign States to decide, Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon said today after Russia announced that it had recognized the independence of South Ossetia and Abkhazia, two separatist regions in Georgia.

Europe - International Herald Tribune

NATO ships cause alarm in Moscow
By ANDREW KRAMER Wed, 27 Aug 2008 21:41:53 -0000
Russian commanders said they were growing alarmed at the number of NATO warships sailing into the Black Sea, conceding that NATO vessels now outnumbered the ships in their fleet anchored off the western coast of Georgia.
Russia's NATO envoy, big on bluster, modifies his tone
By Clifford J. Levy Wed, 27 Aug 2008 19:51:31 -0000
Dimitri Rogozin of Russia is a charismatic orator with a rascally sense of humor, once a nationalist who hung pictures of Stalin on the wall. But he is not sounding so extreme any more.
Russia backs independence of Georgian enclaves
By Clifford J. Levy Wed, 27 Aug 2008 12:57:37 -0000
Russia formally recognized the independence of South Ossetia and Abkhazia in a challenge to the West.
British police investigate murder plot against Brown
By ALAN COWELL Wed, 27 Aug 2008 21:41:53 -0000
Police investigating a suspected conspiracy to assassinate Prime Minister Gordon Brown and his predecessor, Tony Blair, arrested a 29-year-old man in central England.
Museum head apologizes for treatment of woman wearing Islamic veil
Wed, 27 Aug 2008 21:41:53 -0000
The episode, which has kindled controversy in the Italian media and arguments between politicians, occurred Sunday in a Venetian museum.
Swiss government opposes ban on minarets
Wed, 27 Aug 2008 21:41:53 -0000
The government said the proposal would violate human rights and the Constitution.

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