Naz, Humera (2014) Significance of folklore as a source of history and culture: A critical appraisal with special reference to the folklore of Sindh (Pakistan). In: 23rd International Conference of Historians of Asia 2014 (IAHA2014), 23 - 27 August 2014, Alor Setar, Kedah, Malaysia.

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Abstract

This article, as the title itself indicates is an attempt to examine the importance of folklore as a source of history with special reference to the status and the character of women.Folklore is ‘a part of oral traditions which are the messages or testimonies transmitted orally from one generation to another.’The testimonies are transmitted in the form of folk tales,sayings,ballads,songs or chants. In this way, it is possible for a society to transmit history, literature,law and the other knowledge orally across the generations without any writing system.It has been argued by the scholars that the accounts transmitted through oral traditions has generally formed or provided the basis of literature in the world, though of semi-historical nature.The genesis of the Odyssey of Homer in Greece, the Shahnama of Firdusi, a great world epic of Iranand the Divine Comedy by Dante in Italy has been rightly traced back to the oral traditions.However, the term ‘folklore’ lends itself to multiple definitions.For a lay man, all folksy material (songs,customs, and stories) constitutes folklore. But in its wider sense folklore implies a socio-cultural corpus specific to a particular ethnic group, and includes folk-behavior or the study of folk-traditions.This term may be treated in its narrow sense as being coterminous with folk literature and folk say. It includes both poetry and prose, though the former is historically older than the latter.Folklore truly represents the socio-cultural milieu of the people over ages.

Item Type:	Conference or Workshop Item (Paper)
Additional Information:	ISBN 978-967-0474-76-2 Organized by: Universiti Utara Malaysia and Malaysian Historical Society (Persatuan Sejarah Malaysia).
Uncontrolled Keywords:	Folklore, Sindh, History, Culture, Women
Subjects:	D History General and Old World > DS Asia
Divisions:	School of International Studies
Depositing User:	Mrs. Norazmilah Yaakub
Date Deposited:	16 Jun 2015 06:55
Last Modified:	23 May 2016 07:52
URI:	https://repo.uum.edu.my/id/eprint/14474

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