Save the Date: 2026 Annual Conference of The Folklore Society (FLS)

The Folklore Society (FLS) will hold their 2026 Annual Conference at King’s College, University of Aberdeen, Scotland, June 5–7, 2026, followed by an online conference day on June 10, 2026.

The theme for the conference is “Folklore on the Move.” The vitality of folklore depends on the movement of people and/or ideas. Some forms of folklore can be defined directly through their relations to movement, whether practically – e.g. certain cultural forms of Roma and Traveller communities, migrants, showpeople, sailors, etc. – or performed, e.g. tales of years-long quests, ballads of departure, or myths whose characters move between supernatural and physical realms.

The movement of disciplinary ideas and methodologies and how these have shaped Folklore and adjacent fields is worthy of contemplation, as well. More specifically, the connection between folklore and movement has interested folklorists going back at least to Julius Krohn’s historic-geographic method, which attempted to track the movement of folklore across place and time. Later, Reidar Christiansen pointed to the migratory nature of legends, while Carl von Sydow spoke of the cultural changes that folklore undergoes as it moves, and Linda Dégh considered the ‘conduits’ of interest that are necessary for the sharing of folklore.

The conference organising committee welcomes academic and non-academic presentations of 20 minutes from tradition bearers, archivists, activists, museum workers, artists, event co-ordinators, folklorists and others interested in speaking on contemporary or historical aspects of “Folklore on the Move.” Call for papers is now open, and the FLS will accept submissions until December 14, 2025.

Please send your proposal to thefolkloresociety@gmail.com, remembering to include 1) a title and abstract of your 20-minute presentation (200 words max), 2) a brief biographical note (200 words max), and 3) whether you wish to present in-person or during the online day.