Editorial Impressions: Ethnography and Cultural Intimacy

<abstract xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml">The article* presents a study of the use of family humour in public comedy and the mutual influence of family humour and public humour on comedians’ performances and everyday life. The interrelations between these domains lie at the level of the content of humour, its format, its performance and the interaction between humour producers and their audience. Family and public humour often overlap and interweave in various ways, especially in the experience of those who engage in humour production both in public and in private spheres.The study is informed by interviews with UK-based comedians on their family humorous folklore and its interrelation with their public humour performances. The interconnection between public and family humour was identified on several levels: textual, communicative, personal and conceptual.This multidimensional interplay indicates that family humour is contingent on the context, but at the same time is often conditioned by comedians’ public personae and cannot be fully separated from the humour they perform publicly. The study illustrates the vagueness of the dichotomy between public comic performances and family humour and points to multiple ways in which the boundaries between these domains can become blurry.</abstract>

“The Path of the Comedian is Always Going to be a Lonely One”: Comedians’ Mediation Between Family Humour and Public Performance

<abstract xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml">This article* will look at how domestic and sexual violence against women is presented in the Icelandic folk legend collections from the 19th and early 20th centuries. Gender-based violence is a subject relatively absent in Icelandic legend collections which were mostly told, collected and published by men (the exception being the collection of Torfhildur Þorsteinssdóttir Hólm). Violence plays a role in the subordination of women, and there is good reason to consider how violence against women is portrayed in the oral legends of the past. I will among other things consider the effect these particular legends might have had on those who heard them and examine the roles of the legends in maintaining and shaping a discourse which in many cases may well have attempted to normalise this violence.</abstract>

“Obey My Will Or Suffer”:1 Violence Against Women in Icelandic Folk Legends

<abstract xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml">Bandura art is a unique phenomenon of Ukrainian culture, inextricably linked with the history of the Ukrainian people. The study is dedicated to one of the most tragic periods in the history of bandura art, that of the 1920s–1940s, during which the Bolsheviks were creating, expanding and strengthening the Soviet Union. Art in a multinational state at this time was supposed to be national by form and socialist by content in accordance with the concept of Bolshevik cultural policy; it also had to serve Soviet propaganda. Bandura art has always been national by its content, and professional by its form, so conflict was inevitable. The Bolsheviks embodied their cultural policy through administrative and power methods: they created numerous bandurist ensembles and imposed a repertoire that glorified the Communist Party and the Soviet system. As a result, the development of bandura art stagnated significantly, although it did not die completely. At the same time, in the post-war years this policy provoked the emigration of many professional bandurists to the USA and Canada, thus promoting the active spread of bandura art in the Ukrainian Diaspora.</abstract>

The Development of Bandura Music Art Between the 1920s and 1940s

<abstract xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml">The paper* describes the features of the <italic>Simēk</italic> ritual (compare <italic>semik</italic> in Russian) in different ethnic and religious (Orthodox Christian, ‘pagan’, Muslim) and ethnic and territorial groups of Chuvash. The author shows the key role of <italic>Sim</italic>ē<italic>k</italic> in the structure of rituals of the <italic>semik</italic> and Trinity block and reveals its links with funerary, commemorative and wedding rites. <italic>Simēk</italic> is one of the main rituals on the Chuvash ritual calendar. Traditionally, it is associated with commemoration customs of the people and is one of the three compulsory days of commemoration of family ancestors. It corresponds to <italic>semik</italic> in the Russian ritual calendar and is held either on Thursday (for unbaptised Chuvash) or on the Saturday before Trinity (for the majority of Orthodox Chuvash). Today <italic>Simēk</italic> is performed in the villages as a commemoration ritual with a visit to the cemetery, which involves both villagers and those family members who live in cities. After visiting the cemetery family members conduct visits, turning a commemoration ceremony into a festival. Thus, <italic>Simēk</italic> strengthens family links between villagers and city dwellers. With increasing levels of religiosity in society the importance of <italic>Simēk</italic> as a means of preserving and spreading ethnic traditions has also increased. In modern rituals there is some structural transformation of <italic>Simēk</italic> among the Orthodox community, but at the same time it is possible to trace the actualisation and expansion of the ritual together with the general trends in unification of the Chuvash ritual complex.</abstract>

<italic>Simēk</italic> in Modern Chuvash Ritual Culture

<abstract xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml">This study describes the types of taboo words used by the Acehnese people in Aceh, Indonesia. Ten language informants in the district were interviewed for this qualitative study. The interviews were recorded and then transcribed prior to analysis. The data were then analysed by the procedures of condensation, display, and conclusion drawing. The findings of the research reveal that the most common taboo types used by Acehnese speakers are taboos of vulgarity or obscenity, epithet, and the taboo of disease. This implies that calling people bad names, talking about sex, mentioning incurable or ‘repulsive’ diseases are among the most taboo discussions in Acehnese society. Taboo words related to religion are found the least in the data, which could imply that these words are small in number because the Acehnese people embrace their religion strongly and thus minimise verbal abuse related to it.</abstract>

Syiah Kuala University JalanTeuku Nyak Arief

Assistant Professor English Education Department Syiah Kuala University JalanTeuku Nyak Arief

Senior Lecturer English Education Department Syiah Kuala University JalanTeuku Nyak Arief

Graduate Student English Education Department Syiah Kuala University JalanTeuku Nyak Arief

To Say or not to Say? Construing Contextual Taboo Words Used by Acehnese Speakers in Indonesia

<abstract xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml">This paper* highlights the internal contradictions of museum institutions when they are influenced by neoliberal market-driven policies and new museology from the viewpoint of the museum-working researcher. Museums increasingly interface with the public because they are now part of the leisure market. Recent transformations have affected the roles and responsibilities of museum researchers. Whereas marketing, communication and sales specialists have gained more prominence in museum decision-making, the researchers’ role has been marginalised. Semi-structured interviews at five national museums in Finland and the Baltic States give voice to museum researchers and reveal their subjective reflections. The interviews revealed two discursive patterns: 1) caring for museum collections is more of a priority than conducting research, and 2) if academic results are prioritised, researchers are less involved in servicing the collections. The analysis showed how perceived marginalisation has caused role conflict and ambiguity for researchers, and that current shifts reduce researchers’ motivation to contribute to research.</abstract>

Identity and the Controversial Experiences of Museum Researchers: The Case of the National Museums of Finland and the Baltic States

<abstract xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml">What children count as their favourite things tell us not only about children but also about their social and cultural experiences. This study,* based on the outcomes of a children’s drawing competition organised by the Estonian National Museum and applying a combined framework of visual sociology and participa-tory research, proposes an innovative angle to using the museum’s experimental approach to contemporary collecting of cultural heritage. This large-sample (n=926) content-analytical study of children’s favourite gifts gives a rich ethno-graphic and sociological perspective on children’s life-worlds. On the one hand, the children’s wishes reflected contemporary global trends in technology and commercialisation. On the other hand, the children’s prevailing dream of having a pet shows loneliness shaped by societal changes, including urbanisation and changing family models and time regimes.</abstract>

Institute of Social Studies University of Tartu

Institute of Social Studies University of Tartu Lossi 36

Mapping Children’s Life-Worlds: A Content-Analytical Study of Drawings of Favourite Gifts

Book Review: The Practice of Folklore

Book Review: <italic>Leaving Footprints in the Taiga: Luck, Rituals, and Ambivalence Among the Orochen-Evenki</italic>

Centre for Education and Innovation Research

, Centre for Education and Innovation Research

Report on Adult Educators’ Competence Training for the Development of Immigrant and Asylum Seeker Digital Entrepreneurship (EDUAIM)

AHEAD OF PRINT

Volume 17 (2023): Issue 2 (December 2023)

Volume 17 (2023): Issue 1 (June 2023) The Divine, the Demonic and the Beyond in Belief, Narrative and Practice of Central and East Asia

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Journal of Ethnology and Folkloristics

The Journal of Ethnology and Folkloristics (JEF) is the joint publication of the Estonian Literary Museum, the Estonian National Museum and the University of Tartu. JEF is an international, double-blind peer reviewed multidisciplinary forum for creative, inspiring and cutting-edge academic contributions. Addressed to an international scholarly audience, JEF is open to contributions from researchers all over the world. We aim to encourage discussion of the socio-cultural diversity of the whole world in a thought-provoking, imaginative and experimental scholarly spirit. JEF publishes articles in the research areas including but not limited to ethnology, folkloristics, museology, cultural and social anthropology, sociology, semiotics, history, human geography, cultural studies, heritage studies, and critical theory. JEF aims to offer both theoretical and empirical insights to deepen and advance our understanding of society and culture. The journal encourages contributions that use various disciplinary perspectives and theoretical and methodological approaches. JEF welcomes contributions analysing empirical data as well as theoretical and methodological contributions, critical literature reviews of current research as well as papers engaging in creative or applied practice. In addition to full-length articles the journal also welcomes research notes and book reviews.  Rejection Rate:   69%   Plagiarism Policy  The editorial board is participating in a growing community of Similarity Check System's users in order to ensure that the content published is original and trustworthy. Similarity Check is a medium that allows for comprehensive manuscripts screening, aimed to eliminate plagiarism and provide a high standard and quality peer-review process.  Open Access Statement  JEF is issued two times per year, both in print format and online. The journal provides immediate open access to its content on the principle that making research freely available to the public supports a greater global exchange of knowledge.　  Description of the review process:　  Journal of Ethnology and Folkloristics is a peer-reviewed journal. All submissions are initially evaluated by the editors and can be desk-rejected at this stage. Submitted research articles that meet the academic and journal’s editorial standards will be read and reviewed by at least two anonymous referees. JEF is using double-blind review, meaning that the author and reviewer identities are concealed from each other throughout the process. Based on the reviewers’ written reports, the Editor-in-Chief and the Editors can accept, reject, or request minor or major modifications to the manuscript.  JEF has neither article submission nor article processing charges.  Archiving  Sciendo archives the contents of this journal in Portico - digital long-term preservation service of scholarly books, journals and collections. 

Journal of Ethnology and Folkloristics

Volume 14 (2020): Issue 2 (December 2020)

Editorial

Editorial Impressions: Ethnography and Cultural Intimacy

Articles

“The Path of the Comedian is Always Going to be a Lonely One”: Comedians’ Mediation Between Family Humour and Public Performance

“Obey My Will Or Suffer”:¹ Violence Against Women in Icelandic Folk Legends

The Development of Bandura Music Art Between the 1920s and 1940s

Simēk in Modern Chuvash Ritual Culture

To Say or not to Say? Construing Contextual Taboo Words Used by Acehnese Speakers in Indonesia

Identity and the Controversial Experiences of Museum Researchers: The Case of the National Museums of Finland and the Baltic States

Mapping Children’s Life-Worlds: A Content-Analytical Study of Drawings of Favourite Gifts

Notes & Reviews

Book Review: The Practice of Folklore

Book Review: Leaving Footprints in the Taiga: Luck, Rituals, and Ambivalence Among the Orochen-Evenki

Report on Adult Educators’ Competence Training for the Development of Immigrant and Asylum Seeker Digital Entrepreneurship (EDUAIM)

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