Values and Value in Folklore (AFS Presidential Plenary Address, 2007)

The key elements that define our field—sound theory grounded in the distinctive expressive practices of diverse communities, an antimodern and persistently relevant moral stance, and a wealth of actionable knowledge—make folklore especially valuable to policy leaders who every day must engage challenges defined by culture, religion, ethnicity, ceremony, and traditional practice in science, medicine, welfare, labor, diplomacy, and trade.