Welcome to the UH Folklore Center website!


    This website brings together resources for the study and enjoyment of folklore at the University of Houston and more generally throughout the Houston region. The major purposes of the website are:


  -To introduce you to the Center for the Study of Folk Narrative. Located in room 224B in the Roy Cullen building of the main campus of the University of Houston, the center was opened in the fall semester of 2000, under the directorship of Professor Carl Lindahl and with the support of the University's English Department and College of Liberal Arts and Social Sciences. In the Lab, students study audio and video recordings of folktale performances from various worldwide traditions, including African American, Appalachian, Asian American, Cajun, Creole, Scottish, Tejano, and Texas German. Many of these tales are being prepared for publication in World Folktale Library, edited by Carl Lindahl and sponsored by ABC-CLIO publishers. Other tales will be made availble on this and other websites.


 -To describe the University of Houston Folklore Archive and, ultimately, to make many of its holdings available online.


 -To acquaint you with the publications and special interests of folklorists working at the University of Houston.


 -To supply course descriptions, syllabi, and sample projects of folklore and folklore-related course offerings at the University of Houston.


 -To describe special projects and events, such as the Houston Zydeco Project Narratives of Healing Project.


 -To provide information on the living folklore of the Houston region. Because Houston is the largest city in the country without a folklife coordinator or a folk arts survey, many of the city’s great and diverse traditional arts events are underpublicized. We hope that this site will serve as a magnet for people searching out folk festivals, traditional musical, dance, and storytelling performances, exhibits, and works of folk art.


 -To supply links to other websites offering information on folklore in the Houston area.