Pickles and beans, Preston County, WV. Photo by Debra Lattanzi Shutika
Our Work
The American Folklore Society is home to several publications, projects, and programs that we coordinate to further the organization’s mission and vision, promoting the study of folklore and expressive cultural traditions in the U.S. and around the world.
Annual Meeting
Every year, close to 900 scholars, cultural workers, practitioners, artists, educators, and more come from around the world to enjoy a wide variety of presentations, discussions, films, workshops, and concerts, to learn about current work, and to make or renew contact with others in the field. The largest single gathering anywhere that is devoted to folklore, the Annual Meeting of the American Folklore Society sparks the conversations that challenge and sustain us throughout the year.
The 2023 AFS Annual Meeting was held online October 11-12 and in Portland, Oregon, November 1-4, 2023.
2024 AFS Annual Meeting in Albuquerque, NM
The 136th Annual Meeting of the American Folklore Society will be held November 6-9, 2024 in Albuquerque, New Mexico.
The AFS annual meeting is the single most valuable gathering for me, as a professional, to re-establish links to my colleagues, and to discover the latest in scholarship.
Peggy Bulger
Projects
The American Folklore Society carries out a variety of projects that serve to increase public understanding of the field, to support the work of AFS members and their home organizations, and to build partnerships with other organizations. These projects expand the presence and impact of the Society beyond our core work on publications, meetings, special interest group activities, and awards.
Publications
The American Folklore Society’s publications focus on current research and timely concerns from around the world. They include our flagship publication, the Journal of American Folklore, as well as publications by AFS sections, including the Children’s Folklore Review, Digest: a Journal of Foodways and Culture, The Folklore Historian, Jewish Cultural Studies, New Directions in Folklore, and The Folklore and Education Section’s annual newsletter.
Committees and Working Groups
Committees and working groups research problems and implement projects, under the guidance of the Executive Board, to address matters of concern to the American Folklore Society. The AFS President appoints members to serve on committees — with the exception of the Nominating Committee, who are elected by AFS members.
Prizes and Grants
The American Folklore Society recognizes outstanding achievement in the field of folklore by awarding seven major prizes, as well as numerous section-sponsored prizes in specific subject areas. Taken together, the recipients of these prizes embody excellence across the spectrum of work in our field.
We also provide the AFS Graduate Fieldwork Grant and funding to support participation in the AFS annual meeting.
Position Statements
The Executive Board of the American Folklore Society has issued statements about matters of professional policy and standards, and provides guidelines for how members may bring new issues for the Board’s consideration. From time to time, the AFS Executive Board also takes a stand on matters of public policy. For those, search for Advocacy in the News.