FOLKLORE
I. S. Agustiani Agoestian April 8, 2022 What is Folklore? Folklore generally refers to cultural expressions, such as narratives, jokes, beliefs, proverbs, legends, myths, music, songs, dances, costumes, food, and festivals, through which individuals and groups shape and disseminate a shared identity. There is, however, hardly any consensus among folklorists on either how to define folklore or how to explain the issues with the meaning and the function of it. The interest in folklore emerged primarily out of the Romantic nationalism of the early nineteenth century. Enthusiastic intellectuals, amateurs, and artists started to collect different kinds of folklore material in order to be able to study various aspects of ‘the folk’ and folk-life. During this early period, folklore was viewed as ‘the lore’ – the materials of folklore – of ‘the folk’ – the people who utilize the materials. The discoverers of folklore identified the ‘folk’ as peasant society or rural groups, regarding the