Understanding Folk and Cultural Traditions in Our Time, a two-day virtual workshop, will be hosted by the University of Central Florida’s College of Arts and Humanities on February 18 and 19, 2022. The virtual gathering is one of 16 projects awarded “Greater Good: Humanities in Academia Grants” from the Florida Humanities and will feature scholars and folk culture experts from across the state. The presentations will explore how folklore and cultural traditions contribute to our understanding of what it means to be a Floridian and how the state is a reflection of our collective folk heritages.
Free to the public, this groundbreaking event features nationally and internationally acclaimed scholars and artists, including African American music specialist Dr. Portia K. Maultsby, Woodrow Wilson International Fellow Dr. Emily Wilcox, Florida Folk Heritage Awardees David Peñaflor and Marilia Carrasquillo, Timucua Arts Foundation artist Surabhi Adesh, International Committee of Museums of Ethnography Past President Dr. Annette B. Fromm, and Contemporary Mexican Indigenous Poetry Specialist Dr. Dr. Osiris Aníbal Gómez. Most importantly, this event also provides students and the general public opportunities to share their research and/or cultural experiences through themed breakout sessions.
Dr. Peggy Bulger, who serves on the Board of Florida Humanities, will introduce the event and the speakers along with Dr. Dominick Tartaglia, the Florida State Folklorist, and Dr. Natalie Underberg-Goode, Vice President, Florida Folklore Society.
According to Dr. Bulger: “This virtual workshop is both timely and powerful. At a time when Floridians are confronted with rhetoric that divides us and sows fear of “the other”, these discussions will present the indisputable evidence that we are all connected and grounded in our collective traditional knowledge and Florida would not exist as it is without our diverse and creative population.”
The workshops will be held online via Webinars with Zoom sessions on the following dates:
- Day 1 - Friday, February 18, 2022 (10:30 am to 3:30 pm; 2 sessions)
- Day 2 - Saturday, February 19, 2022 (10:00 am to 4:30 pm; 4 sessions)
To register for this workshop, please go to either: the Event Page, or the Events Calendar at UCF.
Florida Folklore Society and Florida Folklife Council are among the non-profit organizations that support this event. Interested parties are welcome to contact Project Director, Dr. Lanlan Kuang, Associate Professor and Director, Humanities and Cultural Studies Program, UCF Philosophy Department.