Department of Folk Studies and Anthropology News

Oct 1st, 2026

The Kentucky Folklife Program in partnership with The Kentucky Museum and the Department of Society, Culture, Crime, and Justice Studies is proud to announce the return of our Día de los Muertos Community Ofrenda for the 2026 Fall Season!

Aug 31st, 2026

The Kentucky Folklife digital magazine is now accepting proposals for articles, photo essays, documentary film, audio, interviews, oral histories, and performances that explore and document Kentucky’s folklife for the 2026 Fall Issue.

Oct 27th, 2025

On Monday, October 20th, the Kentucky Folklife digital magazine premiered its Fall 2025 issue. Dedicated to the legacy of the Community Scholars Program, this installment takes readers on a trip down memory lane through the voices of four graduates of th

Jan 22nd, 2025

The Kentucky Folklife Program is pleased to announce the 2025 winner of the Homer Ledford Award. Based at Western Kentucky University, the KFP has a long history of working with the Kentucky Arts Council to document, present, conserve, and teach the publ

Oct 29th, 2024

On Thursday, October 31st, 2024 The Kentucky Folklife Program in collaboration with the Department of Society, Culture, Crime, & Justice Studies and the Kentucky Museum will present Ellos no Sabían que Éramos Semillas ~ They Didn’t Know We Were Seeds

Feb 23rd, 2024

On Monday, February 26th, at 5:30 pm the Kentucky Folklife Program (KFP), in the WKU Department of Folk Studies and Anthropology, will host an online premiere of the Spring 2024 issue of its digital magazine, Kentucky Folklife. This eighth issue highligh

Feb 21st, 2024

Julius Ayin, a senior studying anthropology and folklore, will present “To Leave the Dead in the House: Deathways, Community, and Change in Yap Island” as part of the Department of Folk Studies and Anthropology’s monthly Brown Bag Lecture Series.

Feb 13th, 2024

Associate professor Jean-Luc Houle was awarded a grant from the Rust Family Foundation to support his ongoing archaeology research in Mongolia.

Feb 1st, 2024

The application window for the 2024-2025 Drs. Du-Powell Scholarship in Anthropology opened on February 1 and applications will be accepted until February 29, 2024.

Jan 25th, 2024

The Kentucky Museum will host the grand opening for the Farmer Cultural Awareness Project from 4 p.m. to 6 p.m. Friday; remarks will begin at 4:30 p.m. The exhibit is a collaborative effort to collect and share the experiences of area farmers.