folklorist
/ˈfoʊklərɪst/
Definition
A researcher or scholar who systematically collects, studies, and preserves traditional cultural expressions, such as oral histories, songs, and customs.
Etymology
Derived from the English word 'folklore'—a 19th-century coinage combining 'folk' and 'lore'—plus the suffix '-ist' to denote a practitioner. It emerged as academic interest in the study of traditional cultural knowledge grew during the 1800s.
In the news
The article describes scholars who traveled through Ukraine in 1944 to record and preserve the oral music traditions of Holocaust survivors. These individuals were essential to saving cultural artifacts that the Soviet government later tried to destroy.
Lost Holocaust music, nearly erased by Stalin, goes on tour in Asia
Read the full article ↗Jewish Telegraphic Agency