Folklore, understood as traditional expressive culture, is universally accepted as constituting an important part of the cultural heritage of mankind. Folklorists, whose prime task is to research, document, and teach folklore, are concerned with a field of study that is at the same time highly sensitive to extraneous interference and heavily pressurized by modern developments. Often dealing with contemporary issues of living expressive culture, folklorists are confronted with an imminent need for responsible action, and thus, ethical behavior.
Verbal expression as the prime interest of the ISFNR constitutes an important branch of folkloristics. Words, whether oral or written, are essential for the performance and documentation of verbal art, music, plays, and rituals. Thus, the discipline of folk narrative research faces a particular responsibility in terms of ethical guidelines for instruction, research, and publication.
The Ethics Committee of the ISFNR offers a forum for members that feel the need to communicate and discuss any ethical issues of their work.
Prof. Dr. Ulrich Marzolph
umarzol@gwdg.de