Centre Activities
Call for Papers!
Song and a sense of place: A free one-day in-person conference organised by the Traditional Song Forum in association with the Contemporary Folklore Research Centre
Saturday 26th April 2025, 10am - 5pm
Council Room, Firth Court, The University of Sheffield, S10 2TN
Admission free but prior booking essential. Booking details to follow shortly.
Place features strongly in traditional song in a variety of ways. Where a song was sung matters, but that where might not refer to a point on the map but to ‘in the pub’, ‘at work’, or at home. There are also local songs, composed by a member of a community about that community, and there are songs about a particular place that are written by outsiders – ‘Galway Bay’ or ‘I Belong to Glasgow’ - which might be adopted by insiders. Other songs are localised – not all poachers come from Lincolnshire, not all fairs are at Widecombe. Location is not always positive, and a place might appear in a song for its negative connotations – ‘Up to the rigs of London’. Or place may be somewhere protagonists are forced to leave, banished from, excluded from, or somewhere they long to return to. Some places are generic settings – ‘Hills and dales and flowery vales’, or ‘Heathery mountains’ – others are imaginary. One way or another, place is everywhere. How does a sense of place affect the way song is perceived, or performed, or believed?
We invite 20 minute papers, or other presentations, on one or more of the above themes, or other topics relating to song and a sense of place. Remote presentations will be considered.
Abstracts of 200 words along with a 150 word bio to be submitted to Steve Roud (steveroud@gmail.com) by 15th January 2025
CFRC SOCIAL - 26 Feb 2024, 4-6pm
Join us either online or in the Interval Cafe at the University of Sheffield Students' Union for the CFRC start of term social - a chance for a catch up, meet other folklore minded people. Just email us to be added to the online googlemeet if you've not already got the invite.
CFRC SEASONAL SOCIAL - 5 Dec 2023, 4-6pm
We met both online and at the Interval Cafe at the University of Sheffield Students' Union for the CFRC seasonal social. Mince pies and mulled wine we had, and some lovely chats with new people and familiar friends. Join us for the next one.
A Century of Iona Opie: Legacy and Inspiration - 25 Oct 2023
Collaborating with Childhoods and Play: The Iona & Peter Opie Archive, CFRC members Julia Bishop, Yinka Olusoga, Aneesh Barai and Cath Bannister produced a symposium marking the centenary of celebrated childhood researcher Iona Opie (1923-2017), examining her work as legacy and inspiration.
'LORE AND LUNCH' READING GROUP - Spring 2024
Lore and Lunch is a series of reading groups, hosted to share knowledge, perspectives and surrounding Folklore amongst members of our Centre. Members would meet online for hour-long, monthly sessions to share ideas on a range of articles - often over lunch (hence the name!).
Find more info on this season's readings here
If you'd like to join our mailing list for future activities, please contact Julia Bishop or Cath Bannister
CFRC SOCIAL - 11 Oct 2023, 4-6pm
Join us in the Interval Cafe at the University of Sheffield Student's Union for the CFRC social - a chance for a catch up, meet other folklore minded people, and plot how we're going to take over the world...
We’re particularly excited to informally sit down with you all, and start galvanising what this centre really is, who it is, and what it can be for. If you’re unable to make the social, but have any thoughts surrounding this, please drop us an email.
The Study of Traditional Song: Past and Present - 30 Sept 2023
This free, one-day conference is a collaborative effort between the Contemporary Folklore Research Centre and the Traditional Song Forum - a UK-based international organisation which brings together those interested in the research, collecting and performance of traditional song.
Hosted at the University of Sheffield’s Diamond building, this event brought together a broad variety of perspectives to discuss traditional song in Britain and Ireland. Films of the presentations can be found below.
Participatory Research in Folklore Workshop - 11 Sept 2023
In partnership with the Bodylore project, we invited 15 academics and community researchers from across England to share their projects and experiences and look for synergies and potential avenues for future collaboration. There was fruitful discussion and the seeds of a network are developing, with thoughts of developing a funding bid.... If you are interested in this approach to research and would like to be kept informed, please let us know.
ECR Chats - June-July 2023
Our ECR Chats, held between June and July 2023, provide an informal, friendly space for ECRs and PhDs to chat and share their experiences and ideas about carrying out folklore-adjacent work. These online groups, led by Centre Director Fay Hield, demonstrate the CFRC’s reach, by welcoming people from universities across the country.
The current programme:
19 June 2023 - 4-4.50pm Theme: Nature and folklore
4th July 2023 - 11-11.50am Theme: Folklore research methods
19th July 2023 - 1-1.50pm Theme: Defining folkloric research
Following this fortnightly series, decisions will be made about the future of ECR Chats, with the aim of building a support network receptive to the needs of ECRs and PGRs. This could include meeting more, or less, regularly, or combining in-person and online events. If you’d like to get involved, please contact Fay Hield
CONTEMPORARY FOLKLORE SOCIAL - 4 July 2023, 4-7pm
Join us in the University Arms’ garden on Tuesday 4th July for the CFRC social - a chance for a catch up, meet other folklore minded people, and plot how we're going to take over the world...
We’ve reserved a couple of tables in the garden - feel free to buy your own drinks and food as needed! We’ll be meeting at 4, and plan to continue until least 7pm. Feel free to stay all evening, or just drop in before or after you finish work!
We’re particularly excited to informally sit down with you all, and start galvanising what this centre really is, who it is, and what it can be for. If you’re unable to make the social, but have any thoughts surrounding this, please drop us an email.
'LORE AND LUNCH' READING GROUP - SPRING 2023
Lore and Lunch was a series of reading groups, hosted to share knowledge, perspectives and surrounding Folklore amongst members of our Centre. Members would meet online for hour-long, monthly sessions to share ideas on a range of articles - often over lunch (hence the name!).
Our reading groups brought together Centre members throughout Spring 2023, and their impact has led us to consider bringing them back in the future. Make sure to watch this space!
If you'd like to join our mailing list for future activities and Centre events, please contact Julia Bishop or Cath Bannister
INAUGURAL MEETING - 1 DECEMBER 2022
To celebrate the approval of the Contemporary Folklore Research Centre, an inaugural meeting was held, including an outline of the centre's aims and ambitions, a talk by Professor Richard Jenkins about Folklore, and short presentations of three research projects at University of Sheffield.
Everyone had a chance to talk about their own work and make connections across the group. Plans were made to begin a regular Reading Group and hold a Symposium next semester.
'TESTING THE WATER' MEETING - 21 JUNE 2022
To help prepare the application to establish our new Folklore Research Centre, Cath Bannister and Fay Hield called an open meeting for staff at the University of Sheffield with interest in the area.
Over a dozen people came along on the day with around the same number expressing interest by email.
This sparked a discussion about both our interests, and Folklore research more broadly, to identify what Sheffield could offer and where we might fit in.
From this, Fay and Catherine drew up the application, and the Contemporary Folklore Research Centre was born.