The Paths of Folklore: Essays in Honor of Natalie Kononenko

Dedication

Dedication       This  collection  of  assays  was  written  to  honor  one  of  the  leading  Slavic  folk-­‐‑ lorists  in  North  America,  Natalie  Kononenko.   The  essays  were  authored  by  Natalie’s  colleagues  and  friends  from  North   America,   Eastern   Europe,   and   the   Middle   East,   as   well   as   her   (former)   stu-­‐‑ dents  (both  in  the  USA  and  Canada).     Kononenko’s  academic  career  has  been  very  productive,  and  in  her  teach-­‐‑ ing   and   writing   she   has   created   new   ways   of   approaching   both   traditional   and   novel   subject   areas   in   folkloristics   in   general   and   Ukrainian   folklore   in   particular.   The   diversity   of   topics   of   this   volume   of   essays   reflects   the   ex-­‐‑ tremely  wide  spectrum  of  Natalie’s  own  scholarly  interests.  It  also  reflects  on   how  diverse  and  manifold  the  paths  of  folklore  can  be.  Folklore  crosses  the   boundaries  of  many  disciplines  such  as  anthropology,  history,  literary  stud-­‐‑ ies,   diaspora   studies,   or   even   political   studies   and   remains   ever-­‐‑present   in   lives  of  people  from  various  backgrounds.  Together,  we  take  this  opportunity   to  show  our  appreciation  for  the  varied  contributions  Natalie  has  made  to  the   enrichment  of  our  lives  and  scholarship.   The  editors  are  very  grateful  to  all  the  authors  who  have  contributed  to   this   book.   We   apologize   to   those   friends   and   colleagues   who   could   not   be   included—and   acknowledge   the   good   intentions   of   those   whom   circum-­‐‑ stances  forced  to  withdraw.  Due  to  factors  beyond  our  control,  this  volume   arrives  much  later  than  the  due  date,  a  delay  for  which  we  ask  our  honoree’s   well-­‐‑known  lenience.     On   this   occasion   we   would   like   to   express   our   deepest   friendship   and   gratitude  to  Natalie  Kononenko  and  to  wish  her  many  more  happy  and  pro-­‐‑ ductive  years  ahead.     The  Editors         ...