The Oxford Handbook of American Folklore and Folklife Studies surveys the materials, approaches, concepts, and applications of the field to provide a sweeping guide to American folklore and folklife, culture, history, and society. Forty-three comprehensive and diverse chapters delve into significant themes and methods of folklore and folklife study; established expressions and activities; spheres and locations of folkloric action; and shared cultures and common identities. Beyond the longstanding arenas of academic focus developed throughout the 350-year legacy of folklore and folklife study, contributors at the forefront of the field also explore exciting new areas of attention that have emerged in the twenty-first century such as the Internet, bodylore, folklore of organizations and networks, sexual orientation, neurodiverse identities, and disability groups. Encompassing a wide range of cultural traditions in the United States, from bits of slang in private conversations to massive public demonstrations, ancient beliefs to contemporary viral memes, and a simple handshake greeting to group festivals, these chapters consider the meanings in oral, social, and material genres of dance, ritual, drama, play, speech, song, and story while drawing attention to tradition-centered communities such as the Amish and Hasidim, occupational groups and their workaday worlds, and children and other age groups. Weaving together such varied and manifest traditions, this handbook pays significant attention to the cultural diversity and changing national boundaries that have always been distinctive in the American experience, reflecting on the relative youth of the nation; global connections of customs brought by immigrants; mobility of residents and their relation to an indigenous, urbanized, and racialized population; and a varied landscape and settlement pattern. Edited by leading folklore scholar Simon J. Bronner, this handbook celebrates the extraordinary richness of the American social and cultural fabric, offering a valuable resource not only for scholars and students of American studies, but also for the global study of tradition, folk arts, and cultural practice.

Simon J. Bronner is Distinguished Professor Emeritus of American Studies and Folklore at the Pennsylvania State University, Harrisburg, and held the Maxwell C. Weiner distinguished professorship at Missouri University of Science and Technology. He has also taught folklore and ethnology at Harvard University, University of California-Davis, Leiden University (Netherlands), Beijing Normal University (China), and Osaka University (Japan). The author or editor of over 40 books, he is also the editor of book series on material culture and folklore and ethnology. He was president of the Fellows of the American Folklore Society and received lifetime achievement awards from the Society for his academic leadership and scholarship on youth culture.

PART I: BACKGROUND, THEORY, AND PRACTICE 1. Introduction: Definition, Concepts, and Questions of Folklore and Folklife in a Diverse, Mobile Nation / Simon J. Bronner 2. Historiography and Intellectual History of American Folklore and Folklife Studies / Jill Terry Rudy 3. American Folk Ideas, Themes, and Worldview / Jay Mechling 4. Methods and Tools of American Folklore and Folklife Studies / Anthony Bak Buccitelli 5. Applications and Representations of the Uses of American Folklore and Folklife / Gregory Hansen PART II: GENRES, PROCESSES, AND PRACTITIONERS 6. American Folk Speech, Names, and Gestures / Charles Clay Doyle 7. American Proverbs and Related Sayings / Wolfgang Mieder 8. American Folk Poetry / Elizabeth Tucker 9. American Storytelling, Myths, and Tales / Frank de Caro 10. American Jokes, Pranks, and Humor / Moira Marsh 11. American Legends, Anecdotes, and Personal Narratives / Elizabeth Tucker 12. American Custom, Ritual, and Holidays / Jack Santino 13. American Folk Drama and Festival / Lisa Gabbert 14. American Folk Music, Folk Songs, and Ballads / Stephen D. Winick 15. American Folk Dance and Movement / Eric César Morales 16. Play, Game, and Sport in American Folklore and Folklife / Fernando Orejuela 17. American Folk Buildings, Constructions, and Landscapes / Simon J. Bronner 18. American Folk Art and Crafts / C. Kurt Dewhurst and Marsha MacDowell 19. American Gravemarkes and Memorial Assemblages / Holly Everett 20. American Bodylore and Folk Dress / Amy K. Milligan 21. American Food, Foodways, and Eating / Lucy M. Long 22. American Folk Medicine and Health Practices / Andrea Kitta PART III: SETTINGS, CONTEXTS, AND INSTITUTIONS 23. Regions, Borders, and Nation in American Folklore and Folklife / Simon J. Bronner 24. Farm, Town, and Country in American Folklore and Folklife / R. Troy Boyer 25. American Urban, Suburban, and Metropolitan Folklore and Folklife / David J. Puglia 26. Waters, Islands, and Shores in American Folklore and Folklife / Shelly Drummond 27. Internet and Media in American Folklore and Folklife / David J. Puglia 28. Home and Vehicle in American Folklore and Folklife / Cory Thomas Hutcheson 29. Schools and Colleges in American Folklore and Folklife / Simon J. Bronner 30. Total Institutions: Camps, Boarding Schools, Military Bases, Hospitals, and Prisons in American Folklore and Folklife / Jay Mechling PART IV: GROUPS, NETWORKS, AND COMMUNITIES 31. Folklore and Folklife in Native and Indigenous America / Tom Mould 32. African American Folklore, Folklife, and Race / Anand Prahlad 33. Asian American Folklore and Folklife / Fariha Khan 34. Folklore and Folklife of Latinx America / Norma E. Cantú 35. Folklore and Folklife of European Americans / Anthony Bak Buccitel…