2025 Portz Interdisciplinary Fellowship Recipient

This research project aims to explore the relationship between folklore and geographical identity by analyzing narratives collected in an original fieldwork collection. By examining both historical and modern folktales and historical records, I will investigate how cultural contexts shape these stories and reflect regional values and identity. There’s been a notable gap in folklore studies since the 1970s and early 1980s. I hope to demonstrate how folklore demonstrates cultural heritage while adapting to new social and geographical influences.

Goals and Objectives

Objective 1: Folklore Collection

Organize and collect folklore.

Objective 2: Establish the Relationship Between Folklore and Geography

Investigate the ways in which geographical context influences the content and themes of folklore and vice versa

Objective 3: Analyze Historical Records

Gather and analyze historical records relevant to the selected geographical area, identifying key social, cultural, and economic factors during the time frames of interest.

Objective 4: Next Steps

1. Present Honors Thesis Defense
2. Folkfest - Cumberland Gap, Tennessee
3. Potentially publish findings and collection (Fall 2025)

Interdisciplinary Research Components

The research is interdisciplinary as it blends folklore studies, geography, communication studies, history, and cultural studies to explore how narratives shape regional identity. By collecting and analyzing oral traditions, it focuses on folklore and how storytelling traditions reflect regional identity. This historical component displays how changing social and economic conditions influence folklore. Geography ties in by looking at how physical landscapes impact the stories people tell and how those stories influence communities. Communication studies come from the collection of tales and the interviewing processes behind it. By blending these areas, this project highlights folklore as a reflection of regional identity.