Folklore researches at the Institute of Language, Literature and History, Komi Science Centre, Ural Branch, RAS: results, current state, prospects

The paper provides a historical overview and describes the main stages in the formation and development of folklore studies at the Institute of Language, Literature and History, Komi Science Centre, Ural Branch, RAS. The period of intensive field work and the first discoveries occurred in the 1950s-1970s. It was then that the previously unknown forms and genres of Komi folklore were discovered, works of the main folklore genres were published, and generalizing works were created. The 1970s-2000s are characterized by close cooperation of folklorists with literary critics in the study of related problems of poetics of literature and folklore, and folklorists with ethnographers, which resulted in a number of works at the intersection of folklore and ethnography studies. In 2001 the Department of Folklore was separated into a separate structural division, and from that time the main attention of researchers is focused on the study of folklore culture of the peoples of the European North of Russia within several main directions. Collection of folklore materials and field studies covering both the territory of the Republic of Komi and neighbouring regions that have historical ties and close contacts with the Komi region, are carried out. The field studies are closely related with the activities of the Folklore Fund of the Institute aimed at systematizing, archiving and popularizing folklore materials. In addition to scientific research in the field of poetics, local folklore traditions, the publication of folklore texts taking into account the requirements developed in modern folklore takes an important place in the work of folklorists.