The Greenwood Encyclopedia of African American Folklore [3 volumes]

A comprehensive overview of all aspects of African American folklore.

To some, African American folklore might seem to be an arcane body of legends from the antebellum South.

But African American folk traditions are a vital part of contemporary society and continue to shape art, music, film, literature, and religion. Because folklore is more than just a body of tales and instead encompasses all of traditional culture, it is central to African American daily life.

In this work, the first of its kind, roughly 700 alphabetically arranged entries by more than 100 contributors comprehensively overview African American folklore.

While the encyclopedia gives special attention to music, art, folktales, spiritual beliefs, food culture, proverbs, and other topics central to African American folklore, it also discusses the Caribbean and African roots of traditional African American culture.

Entries cite works for further reading, and the encyclopedia concludes with a bibliography of major works.

It covers a broad range of African American folk traditions, not just tales, and provides background information about the African and Caribbean origins of African American folklore. It discusses the presence of African American folklore in contemporary popular culture, and draws upon a vast body of current scholarship.

Entries are accessible to school students, undergraduates, and general readers.