Alan Dundes Biography

Occup.Educator
FromUSA
BornSeptember 8, 1935
DiedMarch 30, 2005
Aged69 years
Alan Dundes was a significant American folklorist, scholar, and educator, renowned for his considerable contributions to the field of mythology research studies. Born on September 8, 1934, in New York City, New York, Dundes grew up in a Jewish family as well as came to be deeply interested by the modern mosaic of the city. This very early exposure to diverse traditions as well as stories inspired him to develop his job around the research of folklore.

Dundes acquired a Bachelor's level in English from Yale University in 1955. Ultimately, after a short job in the US Navy, he took place to pursue a Master's level in Social Relations from Harvard University. Bitten by the academic bug, he ultimately obtained a Ph.D. in Folklore in 1962 from Indiana University, studying under the support of the legendary folklorist Richard Dorson. Dorson not only ended up being Dundes' coach yet also played a crucial function fit his occupation by urging him to research the mental and anthropological measurements of folklore.

Throughout his profession, Dundes held a number of academic placements, culminating with his prominent period at the University of California, Berkeley, from 1963 up until his death on March 30, 2005. During this period, Dundes was known for his passionate teaching method, dedication to his pupils, and also ingenious concepts that expanded the limits of conventional mythology research. The effect of his work made him prominent distinctions, such as the Berkeley's Distinguished Teaching Award and the prestigious Pitre Prize. His prolific scholastic career caused over 250 released essays, articles, and also twelve authored and co-authored publications.

Apart from his scholastic success, Dundes actively included himself in the collection and documents of folklore from different societies. With particular concentrate on examining pop culture, such as urban legends, jokes, and superstitions, Dundes was credited with reinventing modern mythology research studies. His interdisciplinary approach, which often ventured into the realms of anthropology, psychology, as well as sociology, enabled him to offer innovative understandings and also deeper significances to social expressions.

Among Dundes' various academic contributions, several of the most notable ones include his expedition of the symbolic language of folktales, recognizing the connection in between a culture's mythology as well as its Weltanschauung (worldview), and the role of social context in the production and analysis of mythology. His innovative job, "Interpreting Folklore," tested the way folklorists approached their subject matter and also gathered prevalent focus in the academic community.

Throughout his life, Dundes worked together and connected with several remarkable scholars and also experts from different fields. This included his Ph.D. consultant, Richard Dorson, along with associates and proteges at the University of California, Berkeley, such as Carl Lindahl, Elliott Oring, and also Brian Sutton-Smith, who took place to end up being significant folklorists in their very own right.

Finally, Alan Dundes was an essential figure in the field of mythology studies, as well as his intellectual payments remain to form the technique. His unwavering dedication to the research as well as analysis of social expressions and also folklore has left an enduring mark on academia, guaranteeing that his tradition will be kept in mind for generations to find.

Our collection contains 19 quotes who is written / told by Alan, under the main topic Graduation.

Related authors: Lawrence Taylor (Athlete)

19 Famous quotes by Alan Dundes

Small: Future orientation is combined with a notion and expectation of progress, and nothing is impossible
"Future orientation is combined with a notion and expectation of progress, and nothing is impossible"
Small: Americans have a penchant for the future and tend to disregard the past
"Americans have a penchant for the future and tend to disregard the past"
Small: Their term project consists of a fieldwork collection of folklore that they create by interviewing fami
"Their term project consists of a fieldwork collection of folklore that they create by interviewing family members, friends, or anyone they can manage to persuade to serve as an informant"
Small: In my introductory course, Anthropology 160, the Forms of Folklore, I try to show the students what the
"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"
Small: I have a great advantage over many of my colleagues inasmuch as my students bring with them to class th
"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"
Small: They do not merely collect texts they must also gather data about the context and the informant and, ab
"They do not merely collect texts; they must also gather data about the context and the informant and, above all, write an analysis of the items based upon the course readings and lecture material on folklore theory and method"
Small: In the light of our culture, these are not unreasonable questions and tactics, but if once again, we tr
"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"
Small: My academic identity is that of a folklorist, and for many years I have taught only folklore courses
"My academic identity is that of a folklorist, and for many years I have taught only folklore courses"
Small: Life, it seems, is nothing if not a series of initiations, transitions, and incorporations
"Life, it seems, is nothing if not a series of initiations, transitions, and incorporations"
Small: Americans often have trouble enjoying the present moment
"Americans often have trouble enjoying the present moment"
Small: Light travels faster than sound. This is why some people appear bright until you hear them speak
"Light travels faster than sound. This is why some people appear bright until you hear them speak"
Small: Americans do believe in progress and there is almost certainly a kernel of truth in the joke
"Americans do believe in progress and there is almost certainly a kernel of truth in the joke"
Small: There is more to folklore research than fieldwork. This is why in all of my other upper-division course
"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"
Small: The class has become over the years fairly large, running to three hundred or more, but I always insist
"The class has become over the years fairly large, running to three hundred or more, but I always insist upon reading all the student folklore collections myself. Although this is a tall order, I look forward to it because I learn so much from it"
Small: Cities all over the world are getting bigger as more and more people move from rural to urban sites, bu
"Cities all over the world are getting bigger as more and more people move from rural to urban sites, but that has created enormous problems with respect to environmental pollution and the general quality of life"
Small: If a student takes the whole series of my folklore courses including the graduate seminars, he or she s
"If a student takes the whole series of my folklore courses including the graduate seminars, he or she should learn something about fieldwork, something about bibliography, something about how to carry out library research, and something about how to publish that research"
Small: Ancestor worship, or filial piety so characteristic of Asian cultures, for example, does not really res
"Ancestor worship, or filial piety so characteristic of Asian cultures, for example, does not really resonate with Americans who favor children, not grandparents"
Small: Polls are frequently taken to try to tease out or determine likely directions and trends, but once take
"Polls are frequently taken to try to tease out or determine likely directions and trends, but once taken, they belong to the past, requiring that new polls be taken"
Small: I mentioned that one of the tripartite formulas in American worldview involves time: past, present, and
"I mentioned that one of the tripartite formulas in American worldview involves time: past, present, and future"