Original title:
The Folk Song Cultural Heritage in the Context of Political Correctness: When hep, hep is not hop, hop
Authors:
Uhlíková, Lucie ; Pavlicová, M. Document type: Papers Conference/Event: Od folkloru k world music: Hudba a slovo, Náměšť nad Oslavou (CZ), 20220726
Year:
2022
Language:
eng Abstract:
The paper explores folk songs written down in what is present-day Czech Republic from roughly the beginning of the 19th century to the 1970s. It shows how song lyrics were treated in the past when they did not conform to the social conventions, aesthetics, ethical ideals, and patriotic goals of the time. When such songs were written down by collectors, their lyrics were often modified, some parts being omitted, others changed. This practice was followed from the early 19th century until the fall of the communist totalitarian regime in 1989. At present, these authentic folk song lyrics seem non-controversial by some performers, but many lyrics are far from it. One of the components of tradition is social memory, which is associated with cultural stereotypes—the generally fixed ideas that people have about themselves and members of different groups. These “Others” are usually members of a different ethnicity, religion, or social class. Their image in folklore involves certain ideas, ideological views, evaluative attitudes, and historical experience. Using the example of otherness, which in Czech folk songs is mainly associated with the negative image of members of the Jewish minority, the paper shows the possible results of misunderstanding the historical context: the anti-Semitic motifs of some older songs and dances resented in public may not be evident to those who perform them today.
Keywords:
cultural heritage; cultural stereotypes; folklore; phenomenon of otherness; political correctness Host item entry: Od folkloru k world music: Hudba a slovo, ISBN 978-80-907033-6-0, ISSN 2336-565X