Folklore Archives and Constructions of the Positivist Paradigm

This study carries out an analysis, from a reflexive perspective, of the folklore archives established in Romania over the course of the twentieth century, archived documents representing the object of research. This approach interrogates the intended objective character of the information collected in the field and archived thereafter. The research shows that the archived fieldnotes are subjective constructions, shaped by the epistemological context in which they were drafted. The cultural memory built through the archival project in Romania, in the second half of the twentieth century, was referential, as it attempted a literal representation of the cultural reality. This manner of constructing cultural identity is based on the theoretical premises of the positivist paradigm and of national ethnology.

Full Text