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Applied folklore is the branch offolkloristics concerned with the study and use offolklore andtraditionalcultural materials to address or solve real social problems. The term was coined in 1939 in a talk byfolkloristBenjamin A. Botkin who, along withAlan Lomax, became the foremost proponent of this approach over the next thirty years. Applied folklore is similar in its rationale and approach toapplied anthropology and otherapplied social sciences, and like these other applied approaches often distinguishes itself from "pure" research, that which has no explicit problem-solving aims.
Botkin's development of the approach emerged from his work on the collecting by theFederal Writers' Project oforal narratives of formerslaves, when he worked for theLibrary of Congress. He saw the dissemination of these materials as having the potential to improverace relations in theUnited States and to combat prejudice. Theabolition movement had similarly used the oral narratives of escaped slaves, such as those collected byWilliam Still in hisUnderground Railroad Records, to draw support for their cause. Botkin's landmark work,Lay My Burden Down (1945) was the first American book to treat oraltestimonies ashistoricalevidence,[1] and it was another thirty years before this became accepted practice. Botkin also worked withQuaker activistRachel Davis DuBois to develop public programs to improve race andethnic relations by incorporating cultural practices and materials into neighborhood events, such asfestivals and block parties. Independent of this,Myles Horton,Zilphia Horton,Guy Carawan,Candie Carawan, and others at theHighlander Folk School inTennessee incorporatedfolk song andfolk dance into the training ofcivil rights activists, such asRosa Parks andJohn Lewis.Botkin was more than just an academic folklorist; he was described as a scholar who rejected the constraints of academic responsibility. He embraced a broader range of sources from scholarly works to everyday cultural expressions. His refusal to limit folklore to traditionally acceptable formats helped shape the applied folklore movement by highlighting the significance of folklore in capturing the soul of a community.
In the 1960s, other American folklorists began to apply knowledge gained from folkloric sources to address social issues, most notably drawing onfolk medicine in the teaching and practice ofholistic andcross-cultural approaches tomedicine andpublic health. Folklorists also began to work as consultants incity planning,gerontology,economic development,multiculturaleducation,conservation, and other fields. David Hufford's, an American folklorist, work on folk and alternative medicine highlights how understanding these traditions can improve medical practice, especially by acknowledging the cultural contexts in which patients live. His research emphasizes that folk medicine practices may contain effective remedies not yet fully understood by conventional medicine.
Lynwood Montell, a well known folklorist, highlights several key areas where folklorists apply their expertise in his articleAcademics and Applied Folklore: Partners for the Future. Folklorists have contributed to historic preservation efforts and helped to protect architectural landmarks and cultural elements such as traditions and landscapes. Additionally, they have worked in arts programming, museums, and living history settings to enrich cultural interpretations and promote a deeper understanding of local history. Folklorists have also been involved in rural preservation, contributing to the conservation of farms and other rural landscapes while considering the impact of modernization on these areas.
