CALL FOR PAPERS

20–24 May 2019, Vilnius, Lithuania

 

This conference focuses on one of the dominant interests of Folklore studies: human relationships. Two main lines of discussion are suggested: to examine relationships as they are revealed in songs and to consider inter-personal communication that develops through the act of singing.

 

Relationships in folk songs and ballads are shaped by tradition and by context. Communication patterns may be shaped by shared or differing affiliations to family, place of origin, social status, gender, age, etc. Our affiliation, or lack of it, with any particular group thus shapes our relationships with those inside and outside.

 

Singing itself is an activity that defines and exemplifies an individual’s relationship to the community. Traditional songs are still sung in many countries and the songs themselves still bridge groups of people and across generations. As traditions change, new ways of song-making and singing are created and new relationships with older singing cultures are emerging. Thus, we might look at how the act of singing creates community, brings people together, and shapes relationships past and present.

 

Contributions might explore human relationships from various perspectives, such as:

 

·         ritual, social, and ethical;

·         family, gender, cross-generational, or ethnic;

·         interaction with the Other, e.g., outsiders, those of different status, or of supernatural origins;

·         establishing and maintaining relationships through, for example, gift giving, hospitality, etc.;

·         the singing individual and the community;

·         the role of song and singing.

 

Submissions on other aspects of ballad and songs are also welcome and we welcome alternative formats, such as Diamond/Pecha-Kucha Presentations, or roundtable discussions.

 

Papers are welcome in the three official languages of the KfV (English, French, German).

 

Please submit abstracts of 200–300 words as Word/RTF attachment to Jurgita Ūsaitytė (j.usaityte@gmail.com) by 15 February 2019.

 

Conference organising committee: Modesta Liugaitė-Černiauskienė, Thomas McKean, Bronė Stundžienė, Giedrė Šmitienė, Jurgita Ūsaitytė.