Environmental folklore and green communication
Keywords: folkloristics, environmental ethics, sustainability, environmental communication, lake folklore
The usefulness of traditional environmental folklore in addressing sustainability issues in modern contexts requires a more nuanced analysis. Despite the technologized and secularized surface of modern society, its values (including environmental ethics and concepts of sustainable resource use) are based on traditional worldviews. This article uses qualitative content and context analysis to look at key concepts and motifs in Estonian environmental folklore based on the corpus of Estonian lake folklore. It examines the following questions: How can we better integrate traditional knowledge about the causes of environmental problems, methods of prevention and mitigation into modern environmental debates? Can Estonian environmental folklore, which is mostly related to specific local ecosystems and the practices of people living in these ecosystems, serve as a guide for mitigating global environmental challenges? To what extent can traditional rituals of adaptation to environmental crises inspire collective constructive behaviour today? What lessons can we draw from folklore to improve green communication in the context of today’s environmental risks and uncertainties (e.g., avoiding moral panics and polarization)? The author concludes that a greater awareness of vernacular psychological, sensory, emotional, and narrative aspects of environmental behaviour is essential for understanding and predicting public responses.
Reet Hiiemäe (b. 1974), PhD, Estonian Literary Museum, Department of Folkloristics, Senior Researcher (Vanemuise 42, 51003 Tartu), reet.hiiemae@folklore.ee
Kirjandus
ARHIIVIALLIKAD
Eesti Kirjandusmuuseumi (EKM) Eesti Rahvaluule Arhiiv (ERA)
E – Matthias Johann Eiseni rahvaluulekogu
ERA – Eesti Rahvaluule Arhiivi rahvaluulekogu
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