Trends and Topics of Latin American Folk Narrative during the last two centuries: tradition and social changes.

Prof. María Inés Palleiro, the University of Buenos Aires

16:15, Thursday 18th December, Ülikooli 16, room 218.

This lecture presents a panorama of folk narrative studies in Argentina, connected with an overview of Latin American studies in the last two centuries, centred around the axis of the interweaving between folktales and belief narratives in different archives and collections.

The first part provides a diachronic itinerary of Argentinian Folk Narrative Studies in the Latin American context, offering some examples of recent research, as well of contemporary Latin American scholars. The second part focuses on the analysis of the interweaving of folktales and belief narratives in different Argentinian versions of the folk matrix 'The Lady Ghost', including virtual recreations made by AI. The final part deals with the intertwining of fiction and history, linking this folk matrix with the historic situation of the tragedy of the desaparecidos (“missing people”) that took place in Argentina during the late 1970’s, a period named as that of “ghostly Argentina”. The main goal is to present a survey of folk narrative studies in Latin America, connected with the global context, from the standpoint of the intertwining between folktales and belief narratives, and erasing crystallized boundaries between canonical classifications of folk narrative.

All are welcome!