Skip to Main Content

Occupational Folklife: Resources in the American Folklife Center

This research guide focuses on activities such as fieldwork, interpretation, and programming related to expressive culture of occupational groups, individual workers and the workplace as it is documented in the collections of the Library of Congress.

Introduction

This research guide focuses on work, workers, work sites and work-related traditions as documented in the collections of the American Folklife Center and the Library of Congress. It highlights fieldwork, oral histories, public programs and collections related to individual workers, occupational groups, and trade and labor organizations.

Cobbler in working clothes standing in front of his machinesJulia Gartrell, photographer. Stephen Cash interview conducted by Katy Clune and Julia Gartrell, 2020-11-16. Fixing, Mending, Making New: North Carolina's Repair Professionals: Archie Green Fellows Project, 2020-2021 AFC 2020/009. Library of Congress American Folklife Center.

Documentation of occupational folklife creates research materials about the history, traditions and expressive culture of occupational groups, individual workers and work sites. Folklorists and ethnographers are especially concerned with documenting the acquisition and transmission of work-related knowledge and skills, the social and cultural contexts of work and occupation, and recording the customs and narratives that confirm membership or status within occupational groups.

The American Folklife Center has a long-standing interest in documenting occupational folklife, which is also referred to as occupational folklore or laborlore. This reference guide highlights current and older AFC collections, projects and programming that document workers and work-related culture in both historic and contemporary groups and occupations.


The following guide offers general research strategies for use of the American Folklife Center collections.