“on benjamin botkin, tony schwartz, norman studer, and the search for cultural renewal” @ the society for us intellectual history virtual conference panel, 22 march 2021.
Exploring how in the 1930s, 40s and 50s, three pioneering American folklorists—Benjamin Botkin, Tony Schwartz, and Norman Studer—challenged existing definitions of “folk” culture, expanding its boundaries to include new subjects and source material, with an eye on and ear toward the potential democratic dimensions of folklore in more urbanized, modern contexts.