ABSTRACT
Even if folklore research typically dwells on the way that people act, it ultimately returns in the final analysis to the way they think. Mindful of folklore, analysts frequently confront the idea of tradition and culture-as a philosophical concept, cognitive process, sociohistorical condition, behavioral response, and as I will emphasize in this concluding chapter, a pragmatic enterprise. A broad implication of folklore research is that practices drawing upon traditional knowledge are omnipresent, changeful, and instrumental. That does not mean specific traditions remain in perpetuity, and accordingly a task of folklore research is to determine reasons for the often winding, manifold paths that people take with their lore in the past and present. Even if transitory, folklore produces lasting effects, and can have a tremendous impact on politics, society, and environment at the macro level. In the micro situations of “cultural scenes,” folklore additionally has a profound influence on the way that people lead lives, engage communication strategically, and perceive and narrate experiences. If folklore draws attention because of its expressive qualities within the ground-shifting march of modern history, or its quick rise into prominence in technological contexts, its absence, decline, and struggle to function because of social, geographical, economic, and political change also gain notice. As a
result, projects and movements to display, preserve, and promote the use of traditional knowledge arise.
