Out now, a special issue of JAF: A Global Quarterly on “Folklore, Comics, and Graphic Storytelling” (Fall 2025) is groundbreaking in its combination of scholarly essays, creative non-fiction, pedagogical strategies, and public-facing pieces, curated by Erin Kathleen Bahl and Andy Kolovos.
Recent Releases
Exploring Anthropology through Folklore and Mythology (Routledge) is a comprehensive textbook which examines how people around the world express themselves culturally, and how these practices provide a window into the diversity of human culture.
Gatherings is a six-part TV documentary series exploring some of Britain’s most enduring folk traditions. It will be available to buy/watch in the United States on select streaming platforms from October 6, 2025.
Careful Village and Other 'Khashag' from Tibet (Open Book Publishers) offers a unique glimpse into the world of khashag, a vibrant genre of Tibetan spoken comic dialogues from the area Tibetans call Amdo. The book is freely available to read and download in both PDF and HTML formats.
The Strange Tools of Human Communication (Routledge) reframes communication as a set of tools through which humans actively shape social life. Clear, non-jargon prose and chapter-end prompts make the book teachable for courses in folklore and beyond. It translates theory into practical analytic lenses that instructors and students can immediately apply.
The 2025 Journal of Folklore and Education (JFE) "Cultural Frameworks for Transformative Documenting and Learning" is now freely available. The theme for the 2026 JFE will be "Teaching with Monsters: From Whimsy to Shadow." It is accepting submissions until April 1, 2026.
The latest novella by literary scholar and author Jack Zipes reflects his belief that the world’s conditions have deteriorated for many, particularly the young. It is a hopeful tale of resistance and defiance, intended for his grandchildren and anyone who believes in standing up against oppression.
Deep Cosmopolitanism (Indiana University Press) explores the past and present of Kutiyattam Sanskrit theater, the world's oldest continuously performed theater. Recognized as India's first UNESCO intangible cultural heritage of humanity, the matrilineal temple art of Kutiyattam has been performed by men and women in Kerala, India, since the tenth century C.E.
Folklore: A Journey through the Past and Present (Manchester University Press) conveys the message that folklore is more than the fossilised remains of a distant, rural past. Folklore is and always has been ubiquitous, dynamic and political. It is a living tradition that draws from many sources and is forever being renewed and updated.
Migrants' and refugees' stories have become an essential part of the public debate around immigration. In Migration Stories (University of Illinois Press), Benjamin Gatling edits interdisciplinary essays that bring together the distinct perspectives of researchers, activists, and policymakers to emphasize how these often-siloed communities can use stories as social science data and advocacy tools.