Modern anthropological trends and their folkloristic relationships

An increased diversity of concerns and methods has marked the modern growth of anthropological studies. Examples are the shift by some researchers from primitive to peasant and urban societies, the proliferation of symbolic and structural modes of analysis, and the development of the ethnography of communication. Folklorists have shared many of anthropology’s modern trends, especially evident in the ethnography of communication; and anthropologists have continued to utilize folkloric data such as myths, games, riddles, and beliefs for their studies. In the following sections I identify some modern trends of anthropology and discuss their relationships with folklife research, particularly from an American disciplinary perspective.