Preview
  • The Practice of Folklore

  • Essays Toward a Theory of Tradition
  • By: Simon J. Bronner
  • Narrated by: Ian Putnam
  • Length: 14 hrs and 55 mins

Prime logo Prime members: New to Audible?
Get 2 free audiobooks during trial.
Pick 1 audiobook a month from our unmatched collection.
Listen all you want to thousands of included audiobooks, Originals, and podcasts.
Access exclusive sales and deals.
Premium Plus auto-renews for $14.95/mo after 30 days. Cancel anytime.

The Practice of Folklore

By: Simon J. Bronner
Narrated by: Ian Putnam
Try for $0.00

$14.95/month after 30 days. Cancel anytime.

Buy for $24.95

Buy for $24.95

Pay using card ending in
By confirming your purchase, you agree to Audible's Conditions of Use and Amazon's Privacy Notice. Taxes where applicable.

Publisher's summary

In The Practice of Folklore: Essays Toward a Theory of Tradition, author Simon J. Bronner works with theories of cultural practice to explain the social and psychological need for tradition in everyday life.

Bronner proposes a distinctive “praxic” perspective that will answer the pressing philosophical as well as psychological question of why people enjoy repeating themselves. The significance of the keyword practice, he asserts, is the embodiment of a tension between repetition and variation in human behavior.

Building on previous studies of tradition in relation to creativity, Bronner presents an overview of practice theory and the ways it might be used in folklore and folklife studies. Demonstrating the application of this theory in folkloristic studies, Bronner offers four provocative case studies of psychocultural meanings that arise from traditional frames of action and address issues of our times: referring to the boogieman; connecting “wild child” beliefs to school shootings; deciphering the offensive chants of sports fans; and explicating male bravado in bawdy singing. Turning his analysis to the analysts of tradition, Bronner uses practice theory to evaluate the agenda of folklorists in shaping perceptions of tradition-centered “folk societies” such as the Amish. He further unpacks the culturally based rationale of public folklore programming. He interprets the evolving idea of folk museums in a digital world and assesses how the folklorists' terms and actions affect how people think about tradition.

The book is published by University Press of Mississippi. The audiobook is published by University Press Audiobooks.

©2019 University Press of Mississippi (P)2022 Redwood Audiobooks
activate_Holiday_promo_in_buybox_DT_T2

Critic reviews

"A particular strength of this volume is Bronner’s extensive knowledge of the discipline and its historical underpinnings...a thought-provoking volume." (Jeanmarie Rouhier-Willoughby, University of Kentucky Journal of Folklore Research)

What listeners say about The Practice of Folklore

Average customer ratings

Reviews - Please select the tabs below to change the source of reviews.