This page was last updated on 15 November 2021.
The annual conference of the Vaughan Williams Memorial Library concentrated on racial and ethnic diversity, both historically focused and in contemporary discourse.
The conference took place on Saturday 13 November 2021 and was a hybrid event, with speakers and delegates both online and in the building at Cecil Sharp House.
It focused on racial diversity in folk, combining historical discourse and the contemporary scene. In retaining an online option post-lockdowns we hope to welcome people from across the world, creating a forum for lively debate across boundaries on this crucial theme.
Papers included
- The Black origins of sea shanties
- How to Increase and Diversify Participation in English Folk Clubs?
- International Relations: Nationalism and Internationalism in the English Folk Dance Revival
- The Sorrow Songs: Folk Songs of Black British Experience
- Racial crosscurrents in Appalachian folk song
- Celebrating Diversity – Applications of Folklore to Shared Society Education within the Conflict Situation of the Middle East
- Folk purism, the enemy of diversity
The papers presented at this conference were submitted by independent researchers. Interpretations and opinions expressed reflected the personal opinions of the speakers, and must not be taken to represent formal policy of the English Folk Dance and Song Society. Indeed, in some cases the speakers' presentations may have directly conflicted with the organisation's views and approach to the crucial issues of diversity in folk music and dance today.
Photo: Folk Dance Remixed, associate company of the English Folk Dance and Song Society
