Western States Folklore Conference
April 10-12, 2008
Davis, California

The University of Oregon was a dominant force at this year's Western States Folklore Society Conference, "Folklore Engages Modernity," which took place from April 10th-12th in Davis, California. Sending a 19-member contingent, UO Folklore received rave reviews for its presentations, which included:

PANEL: Ideology and Protectionism in Chinese Folkloristics (Chair: Prof. Sharon R. Sherman)

"The Political and Ideological Use of Folklore in Modern China" (Ziying You, UO Folklore)

"Intangible Cultural Heritage in China: Ethics, Ownership, and Protectionism" (Sharon R. Sherman, UO Folklore Faculty)

PANEL: Searching for Subcultures: Resistance, Community, and Identity in Art and Music (Chair: David Ensminger)

"Audible Hands, Dexterous Voices: A Film About Five Turntablists from Eugene, Oregon" (Andre Sirois, UO Journalism)

"The Independent Record Store as Oppositional and Contested Space: A Case Study of The House of
Records" (David Gracon, UO Journalism)

"Visual Vitriol: Punk Gig Flyers as Urban Folk Art" (David Ensminger, UO Folklore)

PANEL: Apocalypse Culture Now: End Times Tradition in Image, Technology, and Vernacular
Belief (Chair: Prof. Daniel Wojcik)

"Doom Town: Pulp Comics and Vernacular Eschatology in the Religious Tracts of Jack T.
Chick" (Robert Dobler, UO Folklore)

"Apocalyptic Visions and Vernacular Traditions of Revelatory Photography" (Daniel Wojcik, UO Folklore Faculty)

"When Prophecy Fails or Not: Theories of Prophetic Failure and the Importance of a Folkloristic Perspective" (Kevin Taylor, UO Folklore)

"Blogging the End Times: Ritual Deliberation in Participatory Media" (Robert Glenn Howard, University of Wisconsin-Madison Faculty, UO Folklore Alum)

PANEL: Place, Space, and Play: Community in the 21st Century (Chair: Robert Glenn Howard)

"Into the (Liminal) Wild: Landscape, Liminality, and the Supernatural Encounter in Folklore, Film,
and Beyond" (Casey Schmitt, UO Folklore)

"'CONTACT US': How Individuals Affirm Belief and Sustain Community on the Internet" (Kate Ristau, UO Folklore)

PANEL: Representation, Ethics, and Visual Communication (Chair: Kelley Totten)

"Images of Africa: Documentary Photography and the Ethics of Cultural Preservation" (Elaine Vradenburgh, UO Folklore Alum)

"Collaborative Documentary and Vernacular Photography" (Al Bersch, UO Folklore, and Leslie
Grant, Parsons School of Design)

"'Souvenirs at Sea': 'Local' Crafts and Cultural Representation on an Ecotourism Cruise Ship" (Kelley Totten, UO Folklore)

FILM: All Mixed Up: A Cultural Exploration of Mixed Tapes and CDs (Don Stacy, UO Folklore)

PANEL: Heritage and Change

"Changing Sameness: Cosmopolitan Influences in Malian Griot/te Tradition" (written by Emily
Afanador, UO Folklore, presented by Angela Montague, UO Anthropology)

"Are We There Yet: Investigations into the Expectations of Cultural Tourism" (Angela Montague, UO Anthropology)

Attending but not presenting were current UO Folklore graduate students Summer Pennell, Ashley
Gossman, Robb Norton, and Gail Stevenson, as well as UO Folklore Alum, Susan Fagan and Moriah Hart.

At the Western States Folklore Society's Annual Board Meeting, held on the evening of April 12th,
current UO graduate student David Ensminger was elected to replace outgoing UO graduate student
Casey Schmitt as Student Vice President on the Society Board as Schmitt will be graduating later
this spring. Prof. Daniel Wojcik remains Society Board President.

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Current graduate and undergraduate students: contact Professor Wojcik at dwojcik@uoregon.edu with any noteworthy accomplishments or events you would like posted here.