folklorist

Definition

A scholar or researcher who systematically collects, studies, and documents the traditional customs, beliefs, songs, tales, and cultural practices of a specific people or group.

Etymology

The word is a derivation of 'folklore,' combining the Germanic 'folk' (people) with the suffix '-ist' (denoting a person who practices or studies a field). 'Folklore' itself was coined in 1846 by English antiquarian William Thoms to replace the term 'popular antiquities.'

In the news

The article describes how Moisei Beregovsky, a Soviet researcher and folklorist, spent years recording Yiddish songs from survivors, effectively saving them from historical erasure.

Lost Holocaust music, nearly erased by Stalin, goes on tour in Asia

Jewish Telegraphic Agency

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