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Folklore: EJF Vol 65 came out
We are glad to announce that the special issue of Folklore: Electronic Journal of Folklore on the theme of 'Belief Narratives' is now accessible in print and in the web: http://www.folklore.ee/folklore/vol65/.
The introductory part of the journal gives an overview of the terminological polemics and the connections between belief narratives and believing. Most articles in the current issue are based on papers that were presented at two joint conferences that took place simultaneously in Macau (China) on March 23–28, 2015 (Vernacular Religion, Folk Belief, and Traditions of the Supernatural, and The Supernatural in Literature and Film).
Several articles focus on supernatural experiences in today’s world and the attempts to interpret them by experiencers-narrators. Karin Maria Raahauge points out that even persons who don’t believe that a supernatural world could exist, experience unexplainable things and try to interpret them with the help of traditional folklore, but also by using elements from TV series on haunting, ghost movies, or advertisements. Ultimately the narrated representations have the power of gradually shaping social reality, as Reet Hiiemäe’s article about the interpretation of non-verbal communication in belief narratives also exemplifies. Huai Bao in his contribution about Chinese thrillers describes how traditional concepts of mediumship and foretelling find resonance in modern films and work there, in turn, as a trigger for the creative fantasy of the audience and for their new or modified beliefs and rituals. Kaarina Koski ’s article focuses on continuities and changes in Finnish belief traditions. She points out that modern Finnish people who are confronted with out-of-the-ordinary experiences often seek to interpret them through a scientific or Christian vocabulary.
Victoria Chervaneva’s contribution offers the reader a structural approach to the belief narratives, paying particular attention to the syntagmatic level, i.e. methods of introducing demonic characters and linguistic tools employed for this purpose. The questions of structure and classification are also the topic of Vito Carrassi’s article about fairy tales within the historical-cultural context of the Irish tradition. Kirsten Møllegaard combines literature and the supernatural in her case study about the rich folklore surrounding the famous writer Edgar Allan Poe. As a separate section, the journal presents a case analysis by Elizabeth Ann Berton-Reilly about an American Estonian woman, offering an example of how supernatural beliefs are integrated into life history narration and identity building. The news section offers reviews of new books and recent conferences
The guest editor of this issue was Reet Hiiemäe.
We hope that you will have an inspiring reading!
