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Humble Theory and Power of the Vernacular, 14th International Conference of Young Folklorists

  • Start date: 25th Sep 2025
  • End date: 26th Sep 2025
  • Tartu, Estonia
  • Organiser: University of Tartu
  • Website

We invite submissions for this recurrent conference, encouraging young folklorists to explore and redefine the theoretical frameworks that guide our discipline. This conference seeks to engage participants in a dialogue with “humble theory”, outlined by Dorothy Noyes (2016) as a theoretical and methodological approach, born in the “middle territory between grand theory and local interpretation”. Humble theory prioritizes the ethnographic and practical aspects of folklore research over grandiose theoretical constructs and focuses on studying the meanings driven from the vernacular. It is equally important to address the anxieties and challenges faced by folklorists in positioning their work within broader academic and social contexts. Among many questions, we suggest addressing,

● How can folklorists cultivate a theory that is rooted in practice and ethnography?
● In what ways can humble theory help us navigate our disciplinary identity?
● How might our historical and institutional contexts shape our theoretical aspirations and practices?
● How does humble theory hold up in digital realms and realities shaped by algorithms and AI?

We welcome case studies that exemplify the application of humble theory in folkloristic practice, original research findings, and theoretical reflections on the issue. We also encourage papers that address our traditional topics, such as transmission, performance, and differentiation.