This is the first resource of its kind: a three-volume encyclopedia dedicated to African American folklore or to be more specific, an encyclopedia of folklore from the African Diaspora that influenced and contributed to the folklore of people of African descent in America. The title of the work may have many readers anticipating entries on folklore from the southern United States and its northern cities and some folklore from parts of Africa that are proven Africanisms in the United States. Many forget that the United States is not the entirety of America; there are North, South, and Central Americas that have been and still are populated with people of African descent, and hence, folklore from the Americas is included in addition to folklore from the Caribbean. This is appropriate when one considers the transatlantic slave trade, which kept Africans in a perpetual migratory state. Today, people of African descent continue to migrate and influence African American cultures and folklore in the United States.
That having been said, it’s time to say this: Anand Prahlad, editor, professor of English with a doctorate in Folklore and Mythology, has put together a great, easy-to-use, cross-referenced resource that contains over 700 entries, most of which are extensive and presented within historical and cultural contexts, and end with suggestions for further reading as well as the name of the entry’s author. Related topics are highlighted in boldface within the text of the entries.
Each volume begins with an alphabetized list of entries covered within the entire work and a guide to related topics covered in the work. Having the list of entries in each volume is handy; it saves one from depending on ready access to Volume One in order to determine if one’s topic or area of interest is covered in the work. The guide includes listings of several seminal books and publications--both academic and lay--and of films pertaining to African American folklore; each of these topics has a critically extensive entry. The folklore characters listed may stimulate new and/or further research. Many people are familiar with Br’er Rabbit, High John the Conqueror, John Henry, Stagolee, and Shine due to the extensive research done on these characters. However, many who are not familiar with characters like Betty and Dupree, Railroad Bill, Ella Speed, Aunt Dicey, and Ti Malice and Bouqui may be compelled to do additional reading or research related to these characters. Also listed in the guide are conversation and language genres, dance, festivals, major folklore genres, and scholars and collectors. The listing of such scholars and collectors is valuable as an introduction to African American folklore.
The index, selected bibliography (conveniently done according to folklore genre), and an appendix titled African American Special Folklore Resources are contained in Volume Three. The appendix lists folklife programs, cultural centers, museums, archives, major festivals, and internet websites. Researchers, parents searching for educationally fun family day trips, or students interested in internships at such institutions will benefit from a carfeul examination of this appendix.
The Greenwood Encyclopedia of African American Folklore affords an overview of African American folklore, and for what it is--an overview--it is a great resource that should not be overlooked. There are some gaps and limited entries which Prahlad acknowledges in the introduction, noting that these gaps and limitations present a challenge to scholars:
There are practically no studies of folklore among black professionals or immigrant groups, nor have scholars developed ideological structures that map the connections between similar genres and motifs from one area of the diaspora to another. [...] To some extent the concentration of scholarship in certain areas to the exclusion of others reflects the understandable practice of students conducting research in the same areas in which their teachers or professors have expertise. Some of the situation, though, results from many areas not having been identified as potential topics of focus. (xl)
I will not address the accuracy of these statements here, but I will say that there has not been nearly enough done in the study of African American folklore, as demonstrated by the fact that it has taken until the year 2006 of the twenty-first century for an encyclopedia on this topic to be published. This is incredible considering the major influence African American folklore and culture have had and still have on American culture. As scholars, we will do well to take up the challenge and venture out of familiar territory to fill in the gaps.
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[Review length: 738 words • Review posted on March 1, 2007]