Following Tradition : Folklore in the Discourse of American
Culture
Simon J. Bronner
WHAT WOULD A BOOK ON TRADITION BE, IF I DID NOT ACKNOWLEDGE MY DEBT TO generations from the past into the present? First, my father reminded me before he died of the meaning of the long ethnic-religious tradition to which I belong. My mother strived to be ever modern, to be ''American:' uttered in her noticeable mmigrant accent. My sister opened my eyes to the vantages of family and community, and my friends let me be different. Therein lies much of my inspiration. I am indebted to Penn State University for granting me a sabbatical leave and research funds, and Harvard University and Osaka University, Japan, for providing me good teaching homes while I saw the work into publication. The Fulbright Program, Japan-United States Educational Commission, funded my stay in Japan, and the American Council of Learned Societies provided a grant for my work in England. I was fortunate to be around able staff and faculty at the various institutions, including William Mahar, Michael Barton, John Patterson, Alison Hirsch, Irwin Richman, Tim Evans, Matthew Wilson, Patricia Levin, Suren Lalvani, Sue Etter, Donna Horley, Ruth Runion, Kathy Ritter, Harold Shill, Greg Crawford, Henry Koretzky, Alan Mays, Fay Youngmark, Gloria Clouser, Joseph Harris, Deborah Foster, Lawrence Buell, Daniel Aaron, Werner Sollors, Laurel Thatcher Ulrich, Patrick Ford, Susan Countryman, Susan Hunt, Christine McFadden, Michael Wescoat, Daniel Long, Hisashi Ishida, Seisaku Kawakami, Yuichi Morioka, Chiyo Yoshii, and Kazumi Tanaguchi. At Penn State, graduate assistant Kenneth Patrick deserves special credit for his handling of computer and archive tasks. Other students who contributed include Margaret "Peggy" Reynolds, Douglas Manger, Elizabeth Sparks, Beth Summy, Patricia Meley, Brenda Beasley, Eri Sekiguchi, Keiko Hirose, Shoko Nakamura, and Eriko Tanaka.
I also benefitted from being on faculty in two summer folklore institutes at Utah State University. They were memorable occasions that included enlightening conversations with Barre Toelken, William Wilson, Steve Siporin, Barbara Walker, Patrick Mullen, Beverly Robinson, Chip Sullivan, David Hufford, Elliott Oring, Sylvia Grider, Carol Edison, Tom Carter, Austin Fife, Alta Fife, and many xiii enthusiastic students. I gained admiration for Utah State Press there, and I valued the advice and encouragement that Linda Speth and John Alley of the Press provided. I am grateful to many colleagues in American studies, history, and folklore who commented on my papers and ideas, especially Bill Nicolaisen, Jay Mechling, Don Yoder, Roberta Wollons, David Wilson, Sarah Emily Newton, Roger Abrahams, Patricia Turner, C. Kurt Dewhurst, Marsha MacDowell, Thomas Schlereth, Linda Degh, Jeannie Thomas, Eleanor Wachs, Thomas Gallagher, Stephen Stern, John Vlach, William K. McNeil, Sandra Dolby, Ronald Sharps, Haya Bar-Itzhak, Daniel Long, Joseph Corn, Bradley Taylor, Donald Durnbaugh, Helen Bradley Foster, Carolyn Henry, Steve Roud, Gordon Ashman, Mark Skidmore, Wolfgang Mieder, Michael Owen Jones, Tsuguya Sasaki, Tetsuya Taguchi, Kazuko Miyashita, Hideyo Konagaya, and Misako Koike. I want to mention a few folks, family really, for staying close, even when I was away: Bill and Sue Aspinall, Ron and Cathy Baker, Ken and Anne Marie Thigpen, Ron and Manya Segal, Clare Luz, Joyce Kasman Valenza, Terry Feder Seplowitz, Eric Epstein, and Sally Jo Kahr. I credit many tradition bearers for being teachers, although few of them recognized themselves as such. Stan Merzanis, Charles Rebuck, Beulah Rebuck, Philip Owen, and Bill Medlin especially gave of their time for my understanding of folk arts. Emma Schrock, Abner Beiler, and Stephen Scott guided me into the folklife of the Amish and Mennonite worlds. Other educators with more formal titles have given me long-lasting lessons, especially Bill Nicolaisen, H. L. Nieburg, Ronald Baker, Roderick Roberts, Roger Janelli, William Wiggins, Richard Dalfiume, Sam Chianis, Mary Ellen Brown, and Warren Roberts. While I am reflecting back,
Following Tradition 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.
|
Author(s)
|
Simon J. Bronner
|
|
Place of Publication
|
Utah
|
|
Publisher
|
Utah State University Press
|
|
Publication year
|
1998
|
|
ISBN
|
978-0-87421-239-6
|
|
Total pages
|
618
|
|
Language
|
English
|
पुस्तक पढ्नको लागी (To Read This Book ) :-
0 comments:
Post a Comment