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| International Society for Ethnology and Folklore | |
|---|---|
| Name | International Society for Ethnology and Folklore |
| Abbreviation | ISEF |
| Formation | 1928 |
| Type | Learned society |
| Headquarters | Zurich |
| Region served | International |
| Language | English, French, German |
| Leader title | President |
International Society for Ethnology and Folklore is a scholarly association dedicated to comparative studies of cultural traditions, oral histories, material culture, and ritual practices across continents. Founded in the aftermath of interwar cultural debates, the society has engaged with scholars, museums, and archives to shape international discourse on heritage and intangible culture. Its activities intersect with institutions and events that include museums, universities, and international organizations.
The society emerged through meetings that linked scholars associated with University of Oslo, University of Vienna, British Museum, Smithsonian Institution, and Musée de l'Homme after exchanges influenced by figures tied to Franz Boas, Bronisław Malinowski, Edward Said, Claude Lévi-Strauss, and institutions like Columbia University, University of Chicago, École pratique des hautes études, and Humboldt University of Berlin. Early congresses drew participants from Royal Anthropological Institute, Folklore Society, Finnish Literature Society, Estonian National Museum, Austrian Academy of Sciences, and Polish Academy of Sciences. Postwar reconstruction linked the society with projects at UNESCO, UNDP, and Council of Europe while also engaging with collections at Völkerkundemuseum Zürich, Museum of Anthropology and Ethnography (Kunstkamera), Royal Ontario Museum, and National Museum of Denmark. Over decades, debates among scholars influenced by Max Weber, Émile Durkheim, Marcel Mauss, Václav Havel, and Hannah Arendt shaped its conferences and priority themes.
The society's mission emphasizes preservation of intangible heritage and support for comparative fieldwork involving partners like UNESCO World Heritage Committee, International Council of Museums, International Council on Monuments and Sites, European Union, and Nordic Council of Ministers. Objectives include fostering research linked to University of Cambridge, University of Oxford, University of Paris, Leipzig University, and Sorbonne University; promoting collections stewardship with British Library, Library of Congress, and Bibliothèque nationale de France; advocating for indigenous rights in concert with International Labour Organization, Sámi Council, Assembly of First Nations, and Maori Council; and encouraging interdisciplinary dialogue with scholars from Princeton University, Yale University, University of California, Berkeley, and Stanford University.
Membership comprises individual scholars, museum professionals, and institutional affiliates drawn from University of Helsinki, University of Tartu, University of Warsaw, Charles University, University of Belgrade, University of Zagreb, University of Ljubljana, University of Barcelona, University of Lisbon, University of Rome La Sapienza, University of Bologna, University of Pisa, Ludwig Maximilian University of Munich, University of Zurich, ETH Zurich, University of Geneva, McGill University, University of Toronto, Australian National University, University of Tokyo, Seoul National University, Peking University, Tsinghua University, Jawaharlal Nehru University, University of Cape Town, University of Nairobi, Cairo University, Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México, Pontifical Catholic University of Chile, University of Buenos Aires, and State University of New York. Governance features an elected board and committees reflecting structures common to Academy of Sciences of the Czech Republic, Max Planck Society, French National Centre for Scientific Research, and German Research Foundation.
Publications include a flagship peer-reviewed journal published in collaboration with presses such as Oxford University Press, Cambridge University Press, Routledge, Brill Publishers, and Berghahn Books. Monograph series have been issued with Columbia University Press and Indiana University Press, and edited volumes have appeared alongside institutions like International African Institute, Nordic Institute for Folklore, and Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique. The society maintains digital archives interoperable with Europeana, Digital Public Library of America, World Digital Library, HathiTrust, and Google Books and supports databases that connect to WorldCat, JSTOR, Project MUSE, OpenEdition, and DOAJ.
The society organizes biennial congresses, thematic symposia, and workshops hosted at venues including University of Edinburgh, Trinity College Dublin, Université Laval, Ben-Gurion University of the Negev, American Folklore Society, International Congress of Anthropological and Ethnological Sciences, World Archaeological Congress, Association of Social Anthropologists of the UK and Commonwealth, European Association of Social Anthropologists, Asian Pacific Regional Organization of Folklore, and Latin American Council of Social Sciences. Special sessions have been convened in partnership with Museum of Anthropology at UBC, Tokyo National Museum, Shanghai Museum, Museo Nacional de Antropología (Madrid), Museo Nacional de Antropología (Mexico City), and Museo del Oro.
The society has formal ties with UNESCO, International Council of Museums (ICOM), International Council on Monuments and Sites (ICOMOS), International Union of Anthropological and Ethnological Sciences, European Museum Forum, International Institute for Asian Studies, Nordic Network for Folklore, African Studies Association, Latin American Studies Association, Association for Social Anthropology in Oceania, International Centre for Cultural Studies, International Association for the Study of Popular Music, Society for Ethnomusicology, International Federation of Library Associations and Institutions, and regional bodies such as ASEAN, African Union, Mercosur, Organization of American States, and European Commission.
Impact includes influence on museum curation practices at Victoria and Albert Museum, Metropolitan Museum of Art, Louvre, and Hermitage Museum, contributions to policy frameworks employed by UNESCO Convention for the Safeguarding of the Intangible Cultural Heritage, and methodological exchanges with research programs at Wellcome Trust and European Research Council. Criticism has arisen from debates involving scholars linked to James Clifford, Michel-Rolph Trouillot, Arjun Appadurai, Lila Abu-Lughod, and Gayatri Chakravorty Spivak concerning representation, power asymmetries, and decolonizing collections, and from controversies paralleling disputes at Smithsonian Institution repatriation cases, NAGPRA-related litigation, and contested exhibitions at Australian Museum. Internal critiques mirror larger disciplinary tensions seen in discussions around postcolonialism, globalization, and heritage politics involving actors such as Amartya Sen, Saskia Sassen, Kwame Anthony Appiah, and Noam Chomsky.
Category:Learned societies Category:Folklore studies Category:Ethnology