The ‘Sixth’ Function of Folklore: Being the Driving Force of Sustainable Development in Deliberative Cultural Environments FOLKLORUN “ALTINCI” İŞLEVİ: MUHAKEMELİ KÜLTÜR ORTAMLARINDA SÜRDÜRÜLEBİLİR KALKINMANIN LOKOMOTİFİ OLMAK
Milli Folklor, cilt.150, ss.5-16, 2026 (AHCI, Scopus, TRDizin)
- Yayın Türü: Makale / Tam Makale
- Cilt numarası: 150
- Basım Tarihi: 2026
- Doi Numarası: 10.58242/millifolklor.1918226
- Dergi Adı: Milli Folklor
- Derginin Tarandığı İndeksler: Arts and Humanities Citation Index (AHCI), Scopus, MLA - Modern Language Association Database, TR DİZİN (ULAKBİM), MLA International Bibliography, Academic Search Ultimate (EBSCO)
- Sayfa Sayıları: ss.5-16
- Anahtar Kelimeler: Functions of folklore, intangible cultural heritage, MONDIACULT, rise of violence, Sustainable Development
- Açık Arşiv Koleksiyonu: AVESİS Açık Erişim Koleksiyonu
- Ankara Hacı Bayram Veli Üniversitesi Adresli: Hayır
Özet
Functionalism, which has established a significant presence in the social and human sciences-and particularly in anthropology-has also been applied to the field of folklore. Anthropologists who refer to folklore as “oral art,” define it in a sense as “folk literature,” and view it as a subfield of anthropology have argued that folklore has a limited number of functions. In the process that began with Bascom’s article “Four Functions of Folklore,” we can also examine the articles by E. Oring and İ. Başgöz from this perspective. This perspective, which views folklore as a remnant of the past that continues to exist and resists being forgotten-and which, due to technological advancements, is deemed impossible to transmit to the future-began to shift as it became evident that folklore continued to exist and be produced in the new urban environment. Folklore was first brought to the city through the theory of socialist realism and the “class folklore” approach; particularly during the severe economic crises before and after World War II, it transformed into an important development tool used to address the problems of the urban populace through “applied folklore studies.” In cities that grew through rapid industrialization and migration and lost their former homogeneous structure, the view that folklore-used to define new folkloric productions, new forms of gathering, and, in a sense, new communities under the terms “urban folklore” and “group folklore”-had only a limited number of functions naturally began to lose its validity. Following these approaches, the United Nations’ Sustainable Development programs and the 2030 Sustainable Development Goals adopted in 2015, UNESCO’s normative instruments for the safeguarding of cultures, and the four MONDIACULT Conferences-the first of which was held in 1982-have brought the international community together around the idea that “culture is the driving force of sustainable development.” In this process, concepts such as “intercultural rapprochement,” “sustainable peace,” and “soft power in diplomacy” have emerged as new functions of culture-and more specifically, of folklore-under the banner of “intangible cultural heritage.” The process that began with UNESCO’s 1989 Recommendation on the Safeguarding of Traditional Culture and Folklore and continued with the adoption of the 2003 Convention for the Safeguarding of the Intangible Cultural Heritage has, in a sense, articulated and reinforced the view that “folklore is the driving force of sustainable development.” Drawing on these efforts by the United Nations and UNESCO, this article attempts to demonstrate-with an “ironic” reference to perspectives that limit folklore’s functions-the importance of children, youth, and future generations growing up in environments of “oral culture” or “deliberative culture” under the title of the “sixth function,” using examples selected from the field of folklore. Recent studies conducted worldwide and in Türkiye on the topic emphasize how crucial the various forms, styles, and types of folklore are in children’s education and upbringing for the protection of their mental and physical health. For example, research in this area suggests that even something as simple as families eating meals and conversing with their children three to five times a week can significantly deter them from developing harmful habits. Essentially, the article highlights the role of folklore in ensuring that children grow up in supportive social environments—within the family, among peers, and in broader society—free from loneliness, safeguarded against mental and physical health problems such as depression and obesity, and less prone to harmful habits or involvement in crime. It also demonstrates the material and spiritual losses that would arise in the absence of such support through the lens of “sustainable development.”.