what is the study of folklore
A: Folklore is a broad field of study that concerns itself with the ways in which people make meaning in their lives. There are many definitions of folklore; one of the definitions we like here at Mizzou is Dan Ben Amosâs: Folklore is artistic communication in small groups. A sampling of folklore definitions through the years:
Significant to folklorists here is that there are two opposing but equally valid ways to use this in the study of a group: you can start with an identified group in order to explore its folklore, or you can identify folklore items and use them to identify the social group.