Inside this Newsletter Introduction 3 lntroduction This fim issue of the second volume of Transmission offers a hodge 2 Eventhi Times for Dr. podge of abstracts and articles, the Herbert Halpert, Professor sort of which you can browse as nEmeritus you're havingyour morning caffeine by Lara Maynard fix. This issue has been compiled at the end of the fall semester, which 3 American Folklore Society has been a fairly eventful one for our Folklore Department here at Conference Abstracts Memorial University of Dark Nights of the Soul by E. Newfoundland. Notably, Dr. Herberl Condon; A Critical Folklore-in- Halpert, Professor Emeritus, marked I Literature Pedagogy as the release of his opus-Folktales of Introduction to Critical Cultural Newfoundland, a joint effort with Analysis by R. Gholson; J.D.A. Widdowson the University Traditional Cultures and the of Medical Construction of Risk by D. of Sheffield. Goldstein; No More Cards Please! by A. GuignB; Considering the As well as a short article about Dr. Process of Nicknaming in a Welsh Halpert's early and recent Community by T. Jones; Bringing contributions to folklore studies, you Cultural History Alive by M. Koven; will find a selection of abstracts of The Honeys, The Scum and the current research from students and Mighty Reds by 5,Masan; A faculty at Memorial. And Assistant Theoretical (Re)evaluation of Editor Ni ko Silvester, obviously an Occupationaf Folklife by M. avid reader, offers a column of Robidoux; An Introduction to a reviews of recent fantasy fiction that Forum on Folkloristics as uses folklore elements. Broadcasters by N. Rosenberg; Thomas Faiman Ordish, F.S.A. We hope that after you have read (1855-1 924) by P. Smith; this newsletter you will share Changing Stereotypes Through the information about some of the Examination of Folklore in notable events in your own Literature by C. Stumpf. departments or elsewhere that might be of interest to folklorists. To 4 Society for Ethno- reiterate the mandate of musicology Abstracts Transmission as it was expressed by The Toronto Blues Revival: Chris Lewis in our prototype issue in Accommodating Multicultural 1995, the newsletter is intended as a Aesthetics by P. NarvBez; The less format extension of our folklore Whole Don Messer Show: Local journal, Cuffure & Tmdtion, to Elites and Propriety Interests by encourage communication amongst N. Rosenberg. students and practising professionals alike 5 Folkloric Fiction: Reviews by Niko Silvester So do send us your short articles, abstracts of current research, 6 Calls for Papers reviews, or notices. As well, we are from The International Society for willing to use the newsletter as a Contemporary Legend Research; forum for throwing out questions to The folk Narrative Section of the fellow folkforMs. We also welcome suggestions and feedback at any AFS; International Congress of time. Women in World Music: Bowling Green Cenfre for Popular Culture , Studies. Newsletter Editor: Eventful Times for Dr. with some influential people during his tern as a graduate student in hra Maynard Herbert Halpert, Professor Anthropology at Columbia University. Asistank Editors : Emeritus These included pioneer by Lam Maymad, MWN et h nomusicologist George Herzog, 7.1, Bodner who "turned out to be a brilliant, Jane Gadsby On September 25,1996, Folklore erratic character." Niko Sdvester faculty and students at Memorial University of Newfoundland were Dr. Halpert became involved with the addressed on the subject of the Federal Theatre Project in 1937, and Works Progress Adrninstration was Director of the Folksong and (VVPA) by the department's founder, Folklore Division, as well as Acting Dr. Herbert Halpert. Dr. Halpert Director of the Music Division of the became Professor Emeritus at National Service Bureau. Memorial upon retiring as Henrietta TRANSMISSION is pl$liehed Harvey Research Professor of He was introduced to international Folklore in 1979. studies in folklore as a PhD student three times a year. Cuklrre G1 at Indiana University. Fascinated Tmdition is pblisked by the The event was organized by Dr. with Stitfi Thompson's folktale Folklore students Asociation of Diane Goldstein, who taught a course, HalperZ decided to write his dissertation on folk narratives in ~emorialUniversity a£ graduate class in Public Sector the New Jersey Pines afler a summer of ~doundland.~nnual Folklore during the fall semester, "The public sector class was reading fieldwork in 1941. This was ($15.00I Subscription fee is $8.00 about the WPA and some of the early interrupted when he was inducted institutional). Editors welcome years of folklorists in public agencies into the army in 1943, but he began manuscripts on any subject of in the United States, and what is many fruitful years of teaching and administration in 1946. interai to foklorists, such ae seen as the beginnings of public sector folklore in the United States," traditional arts, music, foodwars, Dr. Goldstein said as she introduced Dr. Halpert's personal fieldwork was mhitectuxe, beliefs, oral literature, the lecture. "We kept reading about put on hold until he came to cultural psychology, and the WPA and the early work of Dr. Newfoundland in 1962. Here, he was joined in field research by English sociological structure of regional Herbert Halpert, who happened to be right down the hall, and it seemed a linguist John D.A. Widdowson, then a ethnic, reEigious, and industrial bit ridiculous to be reading about it faculty member of Memorial's groups in Canada. Stu&es based when he was right here and could tell English Department. Their long- on original fieldwork in Eastern us about it." term, corn bined efforts have culminated in a two-volume work Canada and rwiews of relevant called Folktales of Newfoundland: books, films, or recordings are Dr. Malpert engaged all present in his account of his involvement with the The Resilience of the Oral Tmdifion, appropriate to the journal's focus. WPA project, which operated from a comprehensive collection of scholarly artielee (submitted where 1935-43 as part of Roosevelt's "New anglophone Marchen in possible on IBM or Macintmh Deal" efforts to rescue the U.S. from Newfoundland. The work was launched by publishers Breakwater in disbette) should be 10-20 typed, the Depression. "PhDs in the Depression were very happy if they St. John3 on November 29,1996, double-spaced pagesl and may be could get a job as a street cleaner," with Dr. Halpert on hand to sign the accompanied by photographa or Dr. Halpert related, "And that was in volumes. drawings. Correspondence may be the days when PhDs were not at all common." Dr. Paul Smith, Head of the Folklore sent to: Department at Memorial, was among Cukure & Trad~on Dr, Hatpert's involvement with the those present for the momentous MemoriaI University of WPA began in 1934, when he got a occasion of the book launch, and ~ewfoundland job wlth the project as a recreation compared the significance of Halpert and Widdowson's work to the Motif Box 115 worker after graduating from New York University. He began collecting Index of Folk-Literatun by Halpert's St. JO~B,~doundland children's rhymes at the settlement college professor, Stith Thompson. A1C 5S1 houses and playgrounds where his Halpert himself emphasized that the or email us at: WPA job placed him. He eventually set of texts is a record of Newfoundland's creative narrative [email protected] moved on to collecting folksongs in New Jersey, and came into contact tradition. Recognizing FoIMaIes of Rosenberg, Neil V. "The Works of frameworks envalues both Newfoundland as representing "the Herbert Halpert: A Classified consciously and unconsciously work of a lifetime," Carl Lindahl, Bibliography." In FolkIore Sfudiesin transmitted messages to the general editor for the World Folktale Honour of Herbert Halpert: A instructor. This presentation will Library, writes in the work's preface: Festschrift. Ed. Kenneth S. detail the messages about multi- "Sixty years would be too brief for Goldstein and Neil V. Rosenberg. St. culturalism consciously chosen for most scholars to complete a project John's: Memorial University of transmission in my folklore and of this magnitude, but the Mreers of Newfoundland Fo'lklore and literature course and also consider Herbert Halpert and J.D.A. Language Publication Series, 1980. messages unconsciously presented. Widdowson illustrate an attraction 15-30. for--and remarkable success with-- Traditionall Cultures and the impossible tasks (motif HI010)" American Folklore Society Medical Construction of Risk (xviii}. This may indeed be true for by Diane E. Goldstein, MUN scholars like Lindahl who are Conference Abstracts themselves well established in the With growing frequency, medical discipline. Certainly, the thirty years phe publcation of abstracts is an researchers are beginning to of scholarship that Drs. Halpert and ongoing feature of TRANSMISSION. understand the biomedical and public Widdowson each invested in the So please send us your abstract for health advanfages of ethnogmphic production of Folkfaies of publication.] information. NeverEheless, most Newfoundland bespeaks a degree of medical researchers lack the skills to dedication that leaves those of us Dark Nights of the Soul: Tradition collect or interpret ethnographic data. who are just venturing into graduate and the Contemporary Narration of This paper will examine the uses of programmes in Folklore in what can Losses of Faith in North American ethnography in the medical only be called awe. Roman Catholicism wnstruction of the AIDS epidemic in by Eileen M. Condon;MUN Africa, based on letters and articles For more on Dr. Halpert's prolific published in medical research career in Folklore, see the following Qualified losses of faith are journals. These articles represent sources from which information has acknowledged officially, informally, ethnographic information collected been drawn for this article: and traditionally in Roman and interpreted in a context of Catholicism and other religious condemnation, equating the "at risk" cultural "other' with the beliefs and Halpert, Herbert.