Alan Dundes Quotes & Sayings (Page 2)

“Ancestor worship, or filial piety so characteristic of Asian cultures, for example, does not really resonate with Americans who favor children, not grandparents.”

“In my introductory course, Anthropology 160, the Forms of Folklore, I try to show the students what the major and minor genres of folklore are, and how they can be analyzed.”

“Americans do believe in progress and there is almost certainly a kernel of truth in the joke.”

“Americans have a penchant for the future and tend to disregard the past.”

“Americans often have trouble enjoying the present moment.”

“I mentioned that one of the tripartite formulas in American worldview involves time: past, present, and future.”

“I have a great advantage over many of my colleagues inasmuch as my students bring with them to class their own personal knowledge of national, regional, religious, ethnic, occupational, and family folklore traditions.”

“In the light of our culture, these are not unreasonable questions and tactics, but if once again, we try to see the lens through which we look, we can see that there is far too great an emphasis placed on the future.”

“There is more to folklore research than fieldwork. This is why in all of my other upper-division courses I require a term paper involving original research.”