Centre for Folk Culture Studies, University of Hyderabad 2.4

In the wake of globalization, Indian culture in general and folk culture in particular needs special attention to safeguard its own identity and heritage. This vital area of enquiry is now arousing culture consciousness among the zealots of the exotic ranging from corporate groups to that of policy makers and social activists.

The Centre for Folk Culture Studies is the first of its kind in the Central University system in India. It was established with the assistance of the Ford Foundation, USA. The Centre’s interdisciplinary and multiperspectival approaches emphasises research and teaching in Folk Culture Studies in the milieu of contemporary ethnographic fieldwork.

Several reputed scholars from various parts of the world have been collaborating with the Centre in its research activities. The Centre’s clientele has been growing incessantly from scholars abroad to Indian academicians.

The main objectives of the Centre are: to study diverse aspects of folk expressive behaviour as a dialogue between human groups and their physical and social environments; to analyse culture in relation to various aspects of human creativity such as Science, Technology, Art, Religion, Literature etc; to document and utilize folklore genres (verbal and non-verbal) and folk lifestyles of various cultural landscapes in order to cognate the native knowledge systems for sustainable development.