The Centre for Naga Tribal Language Studies, Nagaland University, Kohima, organised a two-day International Workshop on “Indigenous Folkloristics: Methods and Approaches.”
KOHIMA, AUGUST 14 (MExN): The Centre for Naga Tribal Language Studies, Nagaland University, Kohima, organised a two-day International Workshop on “Indigenous Folkloristics: Methods and Approaches” from August 13 to 14.
The workshop featured three distinguished external resource persons- Dr William Westerman, Fulbright International Scholar and Associate Professor at New Jersey City University, USA; Dr Theyiesinuo Keditsu, educator, poet and scholar, and Assistant Professor at Kohima College and Dr Sentinaro, folklorist and cultural expert, and Assistant Professor at Baptist College. The experts offered critical insights into the study of Indigeneity and folklore, particularly in the context of a rapidly changing global landscape.
The inaugural ceremony was held on August 13 at the university’s Kohima campus and was chaired by Dr Imlienla Imchen. In her welcome address, Dr Imchen outlined the vision and objectives of the workshop.
Convenor Dr Yanbeni Yanthan said the workshop aimed to explore how other Indigenous communities across the world navigate the realities of cultural hegemony and change; encourage Nagas to engage with their own folklore and oral traditions through a multifaceted lens that fosters greater inclusivity and dynamism in current approaches to folklore studies; and advance the call to “put the folk back into folklore”, reframing it as a scholarly, cultural and social imperative, and as a step towards the broader project of decolonisation. The session concluded with a vote of thanks from Dr Laishram Bijenkumar Singh.
