A local elder from Hong village in Qinghua township of Ziyuan county, Jiangxi Province, displays village genealogical and historical records. A research project for traditional Chinese villages was launched recently in Ziyuan county. The project aims to archive and study ancient buildings, folk customs, ecological environments and demographics of ancient villages nationwide. (Photo/Xinhua)

Society’s coordinated approach to step up protection of intangible culture heritage has ushered in a golden period in the development of China’s folkloristics, or studies of folklore.

In recent years, folkloristics in China has made breakthroughs in theories and research methods. However, disputes still linger over the direction of its development and academic study. A seminar about the development of folkloristics in China jointly organized by the China Folklore Society and the School of Literature at Henan University was held in Henan Province from August 23 to 24. Scholars from all over the country attending the symposium held in-depth discussions on the future development of folkloristics.

Some attending scholars claimed that study areas in folkloristics have been excessively widened, obscuring its definition as a research discipline.

Zheng Tuyou, a professor at the Department of Chinese Language and Literature at Fudan University, said that it is necessary to understand the basic and core content of folkloristics to clearly distinguish it from other disciplines.

There have long been controversial ideas about folkloristics within academic circles. Gao Bingzhong, a professor at the Institute of Sociology and Anthropology at Peking University, said that some scholars classify it as a discipline of humanities, social sciences or even both. “Folkloristics is an inclusive discipline that continuously progresses,” said Gao, who holds that it entails both humanities and social sciences.

Chen Lianshan, an associate professor at the Department of Chinese Language and Literature at Peking University, agreed with Gao’s claim, saying folkloristics can’t be pigeonholed as a single discipline. Some researchers insist folkloristics should focus more on social groups and behaviors, said Chen, noting that others advocate greater attention being paid to actions with cultural symbolic meaning.

Influenced by scientism and positivism, Chinese folklore scholars are accustomed to recording, collecting, comparing and classifying folk crafts for the purpose of research. However, Liu Tieliang, a professor at the School of Chinese Language and Literature at Beijing Normal University, claimed that such studies in folkloristics has in fact swayed from its original research intention of freeing human sensibilities.

But these research methods often neglect personal experiences in folklore, Liu said. If researchers don’t understand the daily lives and discourse of individuals, families and groups during their research, results won’t accurately reflect the true state of folklore.

Reflecting on research methods in folkloristics currently forms a significant component within the discipline.

Chinese folklore scholars began shifting their studies from being purely material-based in the mid to late 1990s by also observing daily life, human interaction and the complicated relationship between folk and cultural traditions.

Yin Hubin, a research fellow at the Institute of Ethnic Literature at the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences, said that folkloristics has evolved in recent years to include scholars paying greater attention to their own role in research.

“We are gradually breaking stereotypes by rethinking verbal behaviors and acquiring information from the local language, which greatly shapes researchers’ own understanding of folklore,” said Yin.

One of the aims of folkloristics is to probe cultural concepts and creation. Wu Xiaoqun, a professor at the School of Literature at Henan University, said that closer communication has led people to learn more about different cultures. Globalization provides an opportunity for communicating and learning about intangible culture from all over the world. The main aim of folkloristics in China is to publicize China’s intangible cultural heritage and ensure its contribution to human civilization is well received.

In addressing future development of folkloristics, Zheng claimed that it is necessary to draw lessons from theories abroad and embrace them with Chinese characteristics. 


The Chinese version appeared in Chinese Social Sciences Today, No. 640, August 29, 2014.
The Chinese link: http://www.cssn.cn/st/st_xsjl/st_xsjl_1282/201408/t20140829_1308695_2.shtml

Translated by Chen Meina
Revised by Tom Fearon