A Turn Toward Practice in Chinese Folkloristics A Reflection on the Concept Through Fieldwork

In recent years, debates have arisen about the goals and methods of folklore studies in China. Complicating these efforts at reconstructing Chinese folkloristics, however, is the administrative positioning of some folklore programs in schools of literature and others in schools of sociology. This essay reflects on the experience of this ongoing administrative shift, and how this shift has provided Chinese folklorists with an opportunity to explore the new possibilities for applying folkloristics to social practice.