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« 2021. # 6 (162)

The Ethnology Notebooks. 2021. № 6 (162), 1376—1384

UDK [930.2:398.23](4+7)”1920/2020″

DOI https://doi.org/10.15407/nz2021.06.1376

HISTORIOGRAPHY OF BAWDY FOLKLORE IN EUROPE AND NORTH AMERICA

(1920—2020)

MAYERCHYK Maria

  • ORCID ID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-7535-4319
  • Candidate of Sciences, Senior Research Associate,
  • Ethnology Institute of the National Academy of Sciences of Ukraine,
  • Social Anthropology Department,
  • 15, Svobody Ave, 79000, Lviv, Ukraine,
  • Contacts: e-mail: mayerchykmaria@gmail.com

Abstract. This paper offers a review of the 1920—2020 publications in Ukraine and other Slavic countries and North America, exploring bawdy folklore in particular and ethnography of sexuality in general. The paper primarily focuses on publications relating to Ukrainian or, more generally, Slavic ethnography.

Besides, periodization of the publications on bawdy folklore is conducted, and the main methodological frameworks of each period are identified. In particular, in the paper, I define the period of the 1920s—1930s when a number of publications in Bulgaria, Serbia, Ukraine, the Czech Republic, and Russia appeared.

Based on these publications, I show the growing tendency to the medicalization of the ethnography of sexuality at that time. The next period, encompassing the 1960s—1970s, is characterized by the influence of psychoanalysis. The application of the psychoanalytic framework to folklore studies is exemplified by works of the USA scholars. Structural-semantic studies of bawdy folklore were typical for the 1980s—2000s. Here I review works examining Slavic folklore. In the final chapter, I consider publications of the Ukrainian scholars in the 2000s till now. These publications are characterized by the search of methodologies.

Keywords: bawdy folklore, Slavic folkloristics, historiography of folklore.

Received 23.10.2021

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