
Following Tradition
Simon Bronner(Author)
University of Utah Press,U.S.
Will be published approx. on 1. April 1998
Book
Hardback
616 pages
978-0-87421-239-6 (ISBN)
Description
This is an expansive examination of the history of tradition "one of the most common as well as most contested terms in English language usage" in Americans' thinking and discourse about culture. Tradition in use becomes problematic because of "its multiple meanings and its conceptual softness". As a term and a concept, it has been important in the development of all scholarly fields that study American culture. Folklore, history, American studies, anthropology, cultural studies, and others assign different value and meaning to tradition. It is a frequent point of reference in popular discourse concerning everything from politics to lifestyles to sports and entertainment. Politicians and social advocates appeal to it as prima-facie evidence of the worth of their causes. Entertainment and other media mass produce it, or at least a facsimile of it. In a society that frequently seeks to reinvent itself, tradition as a cultural anchor to be reverenced or rejected is an essential, if elusive, concept. Simon Bronner's wide net captures the historical, rhetorical, philosophical, and psychological dimensions of tradition.
As he notes, he has written a book "about an American tradition arguing about it". His elucidation of those arguments makes fascinating and thoughtful reading. An essential text for folklorists, Following Tradition will be a valuable reference as well for historians and anthropologists; students of American studies, popular culture, and cultural studies; and anyone interested in the continuing place of tradition in American culture.
As he notes, he has written a book "about an American tradition arguing about it". His elucidation of those arguments makes fascinating and thoughtful reading. An essential text for folklorists, Following Tradition will be a valuable reference as well for historians and anthropologists; students of American studies, popular culture, and cultural studies; and anyone interested in the continuing place of tradition in American culture.
More details
Language
English
Place of publication
Salt Lake City
United States
Target group
College/higher education
Professional and scholarly
Dimensions
Height: 235 mm
Width: 152 mm
ISBN-13
978-0-87421-239-6 (9780874212396)
Copyright in bibliographic data and cover images is held by Nielsen Book Services Limited or by the publishers or by their respective licensors: all rights reserved.
Schweitzer Classification
Content
; Contents; Illustrations; Acknowledgments; Prologue. The Past and Present in Tradition; 1.; The Problem of Tradition; Folklore and the Study of Tradition; Folk and Tradition in Popular Discourse; Tradition in Scholarly Discourse; Tradition in the Press; The Politics of Tradition; The Character of Tradition; 2.; Folklore and Ideology during the Gilded Age; Museums in the Advance of Civilization; Folklore at the Fair; The Ideology of Evolution; Black Folklore and "Progress of the Race"; Relativism and the Diversity of American Culture; 3.; The English Connection, from Cultural Survivals to Cultural Studies; Rationality and Morality; Function and the Role of Tradition; Analyzing Tradition across the Atlantic; The Problem of Childhood; The Folklore of Modernism; 4.; The Americanization of the Brothers Grimm; The German Grimms; The English Grimms; The American Grimms; The Academic Grimms; 5.; Martha Warren Beckwith and the Rise of Academic Authority; 6.; Alfred Shoemaker and the Discovery of American Folklife; The Ethnic Connection; The Celebration of Decorative and Preindustrial Arts; The Community Emphasis; The Emergence of Folklife; The Creation of the First Department of Folklore; After Shoemaker: The Public Face of Folklife; 7.; Henry W. Shoemaker and the Fable of Public Folklore; Writing Traditions; Publicizing Traditions; Creating a Public Folklore for the State; Professionalism and Authenticity; Revision of the Historical Narrative; 8.; Richard Dorson and the Great Debates; The Fakelore Debate; The Applied Folklore Debate; The Nationalism Debate; Discipline from Discourse; 9.; Displaying American Tradition in Folk Arts; Natives and Immigrants in Folkloristic Presentation; Modernism and Nationalism in the Art World; "Circles" and "Treasures" of Folk Art; Art and the Elevation of Tradition; Praxis and the Representation of Action; Epilogue. The Future of Tradition; Bibliographic Essay; Expressions and Performers; Identities and Communities; Settings and Contexts; Guides, Histories, Bibliographies, and Internet Sources; Premise and Promise; Notes; Chapter 1; Chapter 2; Chapter 3; Chapter 4; Chapter 5; Chapter 6; Chapter 7; Chapter 8; Chapter 9; Bibliographic Essay; References; Index;