FOLKLORICA 2016


 

FOLKLORICA 2018, Vol. XXII 

iii 

Editor’s Note 2018 

Folklorica is dedicated to the study of folklore, past and present. �e 
discipline of folkloristics is often overlooked in many western PhD programs 
focused on Slavic, East European and Eurasian culture. Nevertheless, it is central 
to an understanding of culture and how people define themselves as members of 
social groups, be they family, town or nation. �e articles in this issue illustrate 
the persistence of folklore, even in a digital world. �ey highlight the centrality 
and productive nature of legendry in Slavic folklore, a genre that has often been 
underrepresented in scholarship these regions. 

�e 2018 issue marks the 20th anniversary of our first publication, then titled 
SEEFA Journal. �e past editors and I have been proud to offer a scholarly 
exchange among researchers abroad and in North America and to document the 
folklore of these peoples. In the spirit of this momentous anniversary, SEEFA 
marked the contribution of foundational scholars at our panels at this year’s 
conference of the Association for Slavic, East European and Eurasian Studies. 
Adrienne Harris organized a panel dedicated to the first president of this 
organization, James Bailey, whose seminal contributions on Russian epic have 
had significant impact here and in Russia. We are also honoring Robert 
Rothstein’s body of work on Slavic and Jewish folk song in a second panel in San 
Francisco. �ey have been supportive colleagues over years to many a junior 
scholar and have always been diligent advocates for this journal and for 
folkloristics. Folklore, as we know, loves a triad. My own mentor, Natalie 
Kononenko, retired this year after decades in the field studying Slavic and Turkic 
folklore. She has worked tirelessly for the success of SEEFA since it was founded, 
serving as its president and journal editor as well. �is issue is dedicated to these 
excellent scholars, friends and colleagues. 

 

Jeanmarie Rouhier-Willoughby, Editor