The inaugural talk of the "What the Folk Podcast" introduces the hosts and their motivation to do this podcast. Caught in the confluence of change and continuity, the two folklorist sisters discuss the various stages of academia and how to overcome them.

Ep. 1. Liminality

The second episode examines the varied notion of authenticity in folklore studies. The problematic notion of authenticity especially with ownership and authority has clasped greater visibility in the field especially when it comes to indigenous knowledge systems. Without breaking away from the multifaceted confusion surrouding the term, the hosts provides personal encounter while dealing with the notion of authenticity in their respective fields to make sense of the topic in wider fields. What is authentic? How do you collect materials that are deemed authentic? how do scholars make that dalliance work balance between the western epistemologies and local frameworks? and much more grounded questions are raised and discussed.

Ep. 2. Authenticity

Belonging
The idea of belonging is central to understanding how people give meaning to their lives. In constructing a sense of identity, membership in a particular group is more important than personal identity. Using examples from their personal experiences, traditional narratives, and modern influences, the hosts Kikee and Nimeshika discuss the provocative nature and concern of belonging in academia.

Ep. 3. Belonging

As an academic, especially conducting ethnographic or participant-observation, an individual is usually faced with the dilemma of distancing themselves from the subject of study to form an unbiased and untainted picture of the collected data. In this episode, the hosts discuss various understandings and the significance of 'critically distancing' while researching. They bring multiple examples from their experiences and conclude that the gap of critically distancing is slowly fading or different forms of distances are taking place. Some elements disclosed in these conversations are the understanding that one could critically distance themselves geographically, emotionally, and in-field.

Ep. 4. Critical Distancing

The notion of 'Fetish' has been dynamic and evolved from its origin of sexual fixation and attained newer meanings within other disciplines. it has become from its sexual connotations to other aspects of culture. In this episode, the hosts discuss the notion of 'cultural fetishism' in the context of folklore. They draw examples from religion, fashion, foodways, and material culture to explore the social dynamics and the intersection between inclusivity on the one spectrum and acceptance on the other; the threats of cultural appropriation and blurring lines between appropriation and appreciation as well as the commodification of folk material artifacts, religious beliefs, and practices.

Ep. 5. Cultural Fetishism

In this podcast, two young folklorists at the start of their academic careers discuss through a structured stream of consciousness, the possibilities, and anxieties of being an academic in folklore scholarship, which is competitive and highly specialized. As they discuss the transitional phase that every academic faces juggling academia and lucrative job possibilities, this podcast hopes to break down select academic jargon, with the sole objective of making academics accessible.

To do so, they share examples from their research interests, fieldwork experiences, analytical deliberations, publication anecdotes, and so on. Aside from the hosts' personal experiences, academic journeys, and fieldwork stories, it focuses on various aspects of Folklore namely beliefs, narratives, personal experiences, rituals, practices as well as the material/popular culture of the people that the hosts interact with, explores, and research, especially in South India and Northeast India.
Hosts: Dr. Kikee Doma Bhutia & Nimeshika Venkatesan

What The Folk Podcast