Folklorists created a through line from the Celtic pagan festival of Samhain to Halloween. But the Halloween we know today has more to do with the English, a 9th century pope and American consumerism.
Ghosts, ghouls and skeletons have become synonymous with Halloween. A USC Dornsife scholar and folklorist explains how Halloween continues an ancient Celtic tradition of the celebration of the dead.
Alison Dundes Renteln will examine the ways in which laws address and protect traditional beliefs, stories and cultural ideas.
History has taught us that in times of crisis, our desire for easy solutions makes us vulnerable to charlatans — but beware, their seductive quick fixes will not lead us to a lasting and genuine revival. [10 min read time]
Memory lies at the heart of many academic disciplines. [6½ min read]
Folklore expert Tok Thompson of anthropology at USC Dornsife discusses the enduring popularity of ghosts and how belief in them may be linked to ethics and morality. [4 min read]
From cockroaches to geckos, numbers to colors, superstitions vary dramatically from culture to culture. For this Friday the 13th, USC Dornsife faculty trace what we share and how we differ in what we believe brings us good luck — and bad. [7 min read]
