IU Folklore & Ethnomusicology

09/03/2026

Graduate students Madi Becker and Qiaoyun (Jeolin) Hu will be holding an informal session tomorrow from 3:30pm – 5:00pm in the Classroom Office Building, room 102 to discuss their summer research!

In this informal session, Madi Becker will discuss her summer research at the Smithsonian Institution. Her focus was on collections from the Miao people of Southwest China. Jeolin Hu will also report on summer research concerned with Southwest China. Her project involved a survey of museums focused on cultural diversity in Sichuan, Yunnan, Guangxi, and Guizhou provinces.

09/03/2026

We are thrilled to sponsor Las Guaracheras for the 2026 Lotus World Music & Arts Festival! October 1-4, 2026, downtown Bloomington.

Lotus Education & Arts Foundation

09/01/2026

Congratulations to alumna Dr. Iryna Voloshyna (PhD ’26), who recently started a new position as Executive Director of the Ukrainian National Museum in Chicago!

08/31/2026

Last week, several members of the department attended the College’s Faculty Welcome Reception! Pictured are Department Manager Michelle Melhouse, Dr. Pravina Shukla, Dr. Jason Jackson, Dr. Rachel Horner (wearing her new IU College of Arts and Sciences scarf!), Accounting Representative Rose Hessert, Program Specialist Elise Suarez, Dr. Julianne Graper, and Dr. Eduardo Herrera.

08/28/2026

We are deeply saddened to share the news that Professor Emeritus Hasan M. El-Shamy passed away on August 16, 2026. We will pass on a full obituary and any details regarding a service in honor of Dr. El-Shamy once they are shared with us.

Our thoughts are with Susan, Jenny, Lyla, and the entire family during this difficult time.

Faculty member Dr. Jason Jackson, with the encouragement of Dr. El-Shamy’s family, has updated his 2013 scholarly biography to serve as a scholarly memorial. The text is available on our website at: https://folklore.indiana.edu/news-events/news/el-shamy-hasan.html

08/27/2026

PhD Student Lamont Pearley is hosting a workshop on acoustic blues, history, and culture at the Southern Indiana Blues Fest in Morgantown, IN this Saturday, August 29 at 8pm! Visit www.billmonroemusicpark.com for tickets to the festival and more information.

08/26/2026

Our FOLK 100 crowdfunding campaign is now live! If you feel inclined to give, your donation will directly support Department of Folklore and Ethnomusicology graduate students.

See here to donate: https://give.myiu.org/crowdfunding/P370004903-CF.html

In 1926, six graduate students completed their MA theses under the supervision of IU Distinguished Professor of English and Folklore, Stith Thompson. Thompson — along with Distinguished Professor Richard Dorson — helped establish the Department of Folklore in 1965. In 2000, we became the Department of Folklore and Ethnomusicology. FOLK (all caps) is our IU-wide department code, and it represents our entire department (and not just the discipline of Folklore). The FOLK 100 events celebrate our excellent emeritus and current faculty, staff, alumni and current graduate and undergraduate students.

View our FOLK 100 Initiative webpage for more information and a schedule of this year’s special events: https://folklore.indiana.edu/news-events/folk100/index.html

08/26/2026

08/24/2026

Happy first day of classes! We are excited to welcome this year’s incoming cohort to our department after a fantastic New Student Orientation last week. As part of their orientation, our new students participated in a scavenger hunt that took them all around the IU Bloomington campus!

08/21/2026

Congratulations to graduate student Chunfen Zhou, who passed his PhD qualifying examination today!