Benjamin A. Botkin
Benjamin A. Botkin | |
|---|---|
| Born | Benjamin Albert Botkin February 7, 1901 University of Nebraska-Lincoln |
| Spouse | Gertrude Fritz (1905-1993) |
| Children | Dorothy Ann Rosenthal Daniel Benjamin |
Benjamin Albert Botkin (February 7, 1901 – July 30, 1975) was an American
Early life
Botkin was born on February 7, 1901, in
Career
Botkin taught at the
At a panel of the 1939 Writers' Congress, which also included Aunt Molly Jackson, Earl Robinson, and Alan Lomax, Botkin spoke of what writers had to gain from folklore: "He gains a point of view. The satisfying completeness and integrity of folk art derives from its nature as a direct response of the artist to a group and group experience with which he identifies himself and for which he speaks." Botkin called on writers to utilize folklore in order to "make the inarticulate articulate and above all, to let the people speak in their own voice and tell their own story."[2]
Botkin was harassed and subject to surveillance for many years by the F.B.I. A recent study by Professor Susan G. Davis documents extensive surveillance of Botkin over more than a decade.[3]
Botkin died on July 30, 1975, in his home in Croton-on-Hudson, New York.[4]
Approach to folklore
Botkin embraced the ever-evolving state of
Many researchers viewed folklore as a relic from the past, but Botkin and other
In his foreword to A Treasury of American Folklore, Botkin explained his values: "In one respect it is necessary to distinguish between folklore as we find it and folklore as we believe it ought to be. Folklore as we find it perpetuates human ignorance, perversity, and depravity along with human wisdom and goodness. Historically we cannot deny or condone this baser side of folklore — and yet we may understand and condemn it as we condemn other manifestations of human error." Accordingly, during the '50s and '60s
On-going Memorial Activities
In his honor, the American Folklore Society awards the Benjamin A. Botkin Prize to individuals whose work in documenting American folklore has deepened the conversation of the way in which people create an art that reflects their reality and transmits culture and understanding.[7]
The American Folklife Center at the Library of Congress runs a series of lectures in his honor where "distinguished experts speaking about their research and current issues and best practices in folklore, folklife, ethnomusicology, and related fields".[8] The lectures are then published by AFC and made available on their website.[9]
References
- ^ "Turning History's Detritus into Gold". The Jewish Daily Forward. 31 August 2010. Retrieved 13 April 2015.
- ^ Robbie Lieberman, My Song Is My Weapon: People's Songs, American Communism, and the Politics of Culture, 1930-50, The University of Illinois Press, 1989, p. 34.
- S2CID 162202679. Retrieved 13 April 2015.
- ^ Murray Illson (July 31, 1975). "B.A. Botkin, Folklore Expert, Is Dead". New York Times (Print). p. 30.
- ^ Mangione, Jerre (1972). The Dream and the Deal. New York: Avon Books. p. 263.
- ^ "Slave Narratives Collection". American Memory. Library of Congress. Retrieved 21 November 2011.
- ^ "Benjamin A. Botkin Prize". American Folklore Society. Retrieved 13 April 2015.
- ^ "Benjamin A. Botkin Folklife Lecture Series". American Folklife Center at the Library of Congress. Retrieved 13 April 2015.
- ^ "Benjamin A. Botkin Folklife Lecture Series Online Archive". American Folklife Center at the Library of Congress. Retrieved 13 April 2015.
External links
- Encyclopedia of Oklahoma History and Culture - Botkin, Benjamin A.
- Benjamin A. Botkin Collection of Applied American Folklore at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln
- Botkin's Legacy at Library of Congress
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