iii. People were looking to solidify their national identity, or justify the formation of a new nation, by gathering folklore or lore b. Folklorists spread out to look for stories, songs, clothing, food and other items that were representative of a cultural tradition, i.e. the grimm brothers collecting fairytales These things were often gathered from peasants i1. Thought they express a unity of the people c. Often, people would put together stories, reconstruct or otherwise assemble artificial versions of their traditions for the folklorists I.e. the tartan patterns on Scottish cloth were solidified into specific patterns for specific clans only in the 19 n century, after the Scottish clans had been defeated i1. In Panama, the traditional female costume is called a pollera dress But this dress was only adopted very recently as a national costume. It was previously a dress worn only by peasants iii. In extreme cases, items were faked, like the work of supposed Celtic poet Ossian d. Much of what happened with folklore is happening with culture 3. Identity Politics a. There's a belief that culture is somehow the essence of a people b. Culture is often invoked to assert an identity c. But there are dangers in these assumptions Cult fundamentalismiii. People were looking to solidify their national identity, or justify the formation of a new nation, by gathering folklore or lore b. Folklorists spread out to look for stories, songs, clothing, food and other items that were representative of a cultural tradition, i.e. the Grimm brothers collecting fairytales i. These things were often gathered from peasants ii. Thought they express a unity of the people c. Often, people would put together stories, reconstruct or otherwise assemble artificial versions of their traditions for the folklorists i. I.e. the Tartan patterns on Scottish cloth were solidified into specific patterns for specific clans only in the 19th century, after the Scottish clans had been defeated. ii. In Panama, the traditional female costume is called a Pollera dress. But this dress was only adopted very recently as a national costume. It was previously a dress worn only by peasants. iii. In extreme cases, items were faked, like the work of supposed Celtic poet Ossian d. Much of what happened with folklore is happening with culture 3. Identity Politics a. There’s a belief that culture is somehow the essence of a people b. Culture is often invoked to assert an identity c. But there are dangers in these assumptions: i. Cultural fundamentalism