I am an ethnographer interested in the religions, cultures and folklore of South Asia, the Caribbean, and Tibet. My broad interests are informed by interdisciplinary research that incorporates both the humanities and social sciences, especially performance studies and the ethnography of communication.
The Indian Subcontinent has been at the centre of folklore inquiry since the 19th century, yet, w... more The Indian Subcontinent has been at the centre of folklore inquiry since the 19th century, yet, while much attention was paid to India by early scholars, folkloristic interest in the region waned over time until it virtually disappeared from the research agendas of scholars working in the discipline of folklore and folklife. This fortunately changed in the 1980s when a newly energized group of younger scholars, who were interested in a variety of new approaches that went beyond the textual interface, returned to folklore as an untapped resource in South Asian Studies.
This comprehensive volume further reinvigorates the field by providing fresh studies and new models both for studying the “lore” and the “life” of everyday people in the region, as well as their engagement with the world at large. By bringing Muslims, material culture, diasporic horizons, global interventions and politics to bear on South Asian folklore studies, the authors hope to stimulate more dialogue across theoretical and geographical borders to infuse the study of the Indian Subcontinent’s cultural traditions with a new sense of relevance that will be of interest not only to areal specialists but also to folklorists and anthropologists in general.
This book was originally published as a special issue of South Asian History and Culture.
This is a brief and personalized account of how I got interested in the Middle Bengali text known... more This is a brief and personalized account of how I got interested in the Middle Bengali text known as Dharmamangal, especially the version written by Ghanaram.
The Indian Subcontinent has been at the centre of folklore inquiry since the 19th century, yet, w... more The Indian Subcontinent has been at the centre of folklore inquiry since the 19th century, yet, while much attention was paid to India by early scholars, folkloristic interest in the region waned over time until it virtually disappeared from the research agendas of scholars working in the discipline of folklore and folklife. This fortunately changed in the 1980s when a newly energized group of younger scholars, who were interested in a variety of new approaches that went beyond the textual interface, returned to folklore as an untapped resource in South Asian Studies.
This comprehensive volume further reinvigorates the field by providing fresh studies and new models both for studying the “lore” and the “life” of everyday people in the region, as well as their engagement with the world at large. By bringing Muslims, material culture, diasporic horizons, global interventions and politics to bear on South Asian folklore studies, the authors hope to stimulate more dialogue across theoretical and geographical borders to infuse the study of the Indian Subcontinent’s cultural traditions with a new sense of relevance that will be of interest not only to areal specialists but also to folklorists and anthropologists in general.
This book was originally published as a special issue of South Asian History and Culture.
This is a brief and personalized account of how I got interested in the Middle Bengali text known... more This is a brief and personalized account of how I got interested in the Middle Bengali text known as Dharmamangal, especially the version written by Ghanaram.
Bronisław Malinowski (1884-1942) was a foundational force in the development of functionalist the... more Bronisław Malinowski (1884-1942) was a foundational force in the development of functionalist theory in the discipline of anthropology. Based on intensive fieldwork in the Trobriand Islands, his pragmatic theory stimulated much discussion and debate in anthropological circles. Lesser known, however, is the influence that Malinowski had on the development of modern performance studies in the United States among folklore scholars. This research note focuses on Malinowski's writings concerning the language of myth and magic, since these were the aspects of his work that appealed most to American scholars of performance in the 1970s.
Animal Slaughter and Religious Nationalism in Bhutan, 2021
This article explores the shifting role of slaughter and meat consumption in Bhutan as a result o... more This article explores the shifting role of slaughter and meat consumption in Bhutan as a result of the recent religionization of Bhutanese politics and as a case of religious nationalism. It argues that there is a tension between customary meat consumption and traditional blood sacrifice and the Buddhist nonviolent ritual practice of tsethar that is propagated as a central part of modern Bhutanese nationalism and good citizenship. This tension has created a situation where animal welfare and vegetarianism are dominant in the public discourse while slaughter and meat consumption still continue-but as concealed and obscure practices. The article presents data from ethnographic fieldwork and other sources to demonstrate how this process has played out in practice.
New year's Day performances as Nationalist Discourse in Bangladesh, 2021
The purpose of this article is to demonstrate that public displays are performance events that ca... more The purpose of this article is to demonstrate that public displays are performance events that carry a variety of meanings for the participants involved in such events. Given the multivocal nature of large-scale spectacles, such as street parades and national holidays, there is bound to be disagreement and therefore contestation over the correct interpretation of the events performed. When it comes to the political function of public display events, it becomes clear that they can be manipulated symbolically and semiotically to convey certain meanings intended by the orchestrators of the events being performed. In Bangladesh, a relatively new nation in the world order, the growing pains of defining what constitutes the essence of its citizenship becomes a priority. The public sphere thus becomes a nationalist arena for performing ethnolinguistic identity. Yet, due to the diversity of the population and its myriad of beliefs, the attempt to homogenize can and does lead to contestation, since not all agree on what constitutes the nation, its belief system, and its culture. Festivals thus become dialogical vehicles for enacting the disputed nature of the Bangladeshi national self.
This article intends to raise questions related to nationalism in South Asia, while also addressi... more This article intends to raise questions related to nationalism in South Asia, while also addressing the rationale for this special issue. Is nationalism a monolithic construct based on a European precedent or is it something much larger that is developed pluralistically in a variety of contexts around the world? If the latter is true, which is our position, then how do we go about studying the various versions of global nationalism? We argue that good comparison is based on both similarity and difference. To make a case for multiple versions of nationalism, the articles included herein focus on the Indian Subcontinent. Each article looks at a particular country belonging to the South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation (SAARC), the intergovernmental group representing the geopolitical union of states in South Asia, which was founded in Dhaka, Bangladesh in 1985. The overall purpose of this collection of articles is to highlight the varieties of nationalism found in the region, with the goal of interrogating the idea of a singular form of nationalism inherited by postcolonial societies from their European colonizers.
On the the role of the concept of "reenchantment" in producing and maintaining a mystical worldvi... more On the the role of the concept of "reenchantment" in producing and maintaining a mystical worldview within a contmporary transnational Sufi community.
This paper explores the origins of the Bawa Muhaiyaddeen Fellowship by examining the personal cor... more This paper explores the origins of the Bawa Muhaiyaddeen Fellowship by examining the personal correspondence between Bawa and his patroness in Philadelphia during the years 1969-1971, the years immediately before his departure from Sri Lanka to the United States.
The Patuas of West Bengal are a semi-itinerant caste of narrative scroll painters that have plied... more The Patuas of West Bengal are a semi-itinerant caste of narrative scroll painters that have plied their trade for centuries. Over time, their repertoire has expanded to encompass a variety of new phenomena, including performances concerning natural disasters. This paper focuses specifically on one song about an infamous flood in Medinipur district that devastated the area in the 1970s, with the purpose of revealing how the Patuas themselves understand this tragic event as well as others like it. The conclusion suggests that they believe divine retribution is behind natural calamity.
This paper looks at the oral narratives sung by Bengali Patuas, a caste of formerly itinerant scr... more This paper looks at the oral narratives sung by Bengali Patuas, a caste of formerly itinerant scroll painter bards in South Asia, that were composed in response to natural disasters such as floods and earthquakes to reflect upon their degree of political involvement and social activism on the local and trans-local level.
Building on Michel Foucault’s notion of gouvernementalité, which he developed during the later ye... more Building on Michel Foucault’s notion of gouvernementalité, which he developed during the later years of his life, from approximately 1977 until his death in 1984, I wish to explore some strategies that a certain group of people in India use to cope with being governed as well as those used to subvert the mentality of governance.1 Governmentality, the English equivalent of Foucault’s French term, is here defined as the strategies utilized to render a given society governable.2 This essay will explore how the vernacular bardic tradition of narrative picture painting has been co-opted and used by the state to convey ideological positions when local disasters occurred in the state of West Bengal, India. The theme of counter-hegemonic discourse will also be addressed by demonstrating how the bards in question provide their own running commentaries on tragic events that quite often go against the officially sanctioned positions of local governmental agencies. Non-governmental organization...
This article explores the shifting role of slaughter and meat consumption in Bhutan as a result o... more This article explores the shifting role of slaughter and meat consumption in Bhutan as a result of the recent religionization of Bhutanese politics and as a case of religious nationalism. It argues that there is a tension between customary meat consumption and traditional blood sacrifice and the Buddhist nonviolent ritual practice of tsethar that is propagated as a central part of modern Bhutanese nationalism and good citizenship. This tension has created a situation where animal welfare and vegetarianism are dominant in the public discourse while slaughter and meat consumption still continue—but as concealed and obscure practices. The article presents data from ethnographic fieldwork and other sources to demonstrate how this process has played out in practice.
Associate Professor of Religion and Anthropology, Boston University, September 2004-August 2009 A... more Associate Professor of Religion and Anthropology, Boston University, September 2004-August 2009 Assistant Professor of Religion and Anthropology, Boston University, September 1998-August 2004 Curator of Asian and Middle Eastern Collections, Museum of International Folk Art, September 1993August 1998 Adjunct Lecturer in Religion and Anthropology, Santa Fe Community College, January 1994-August 1998 Postdoctoral Fellow, Smithsonian Institution, Center for Folklife Programs and Cultural Heritage, September 1992-August 1993 Cultural Consultant, Ford Foundation, New Delhi and Dhaka Offices, Intermittently May 1989-July 1990
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Books by Frank Korom
This comprehensive volume further reinvigorates the field by providing fresh studies and new models both for studying the “lore” and the “life” of everyday people in the region, as well as their engagement with the world at large. By bringing Muslims, material culture, diasporic horizons, global interventions and politics to bear on South Asian folklore studies, the authors hope to stimulate more dialogue across theoretical and geographical borders to infuse the study of the Indian Subcontinent’s cultural traditions with a new sense of relevance that will be of interest not only to areal specialists but also to folklorists and anthropologists in general.
This book was originally published as a special issue of South Asian History and Culture.
Dharmaraj by Frank Korom
Fieldwork by Frank Korom
This comprehensive volume further reinvigorates the field by providing fresh studies and new models both for studying the “lore” and the “life” of everyday people in the region, as well as their engagement with the world at large. By bringing Muslims, material culture, diasporic horizons, global interventions and politics to bear on South Asian folklore studies, the authors hope to stimulate more dialogue across theoretical and geographical borders to infuse the study of the Indian Subcontinent’s cultural traditions with a new sense of relevance that will be of interest not only to areal specialists but also to folklorists and anthropologists in general.
This book was originally published as a special issue of South Asian History and Culture.