Complimentary disciplines and their significance in India- Oral traditions, folklore and archaeology

Abstract

Abstract

paper is an attempt towards understanding the importance of the disciplines of folklore and culture studies, especially those pertaining to the oral tradition which forms an important part of the intangible heritage of man and his environment and the discipline of archaeology in India. Both are complimentary disciplines and needs to be studied for a holistic understanding of the term culture and folk traditions in a society. The paper traces a brief background of both the disciplines of folklore studies as well as archaeology as it developed in the sub-continent and thereby attempts to highlight the need to perceive and understand both. A cumulative study is an imperative necessity in the recent global world where the term ‘culture’ denotes a much wider definition than was connoted decades ago as part of the civilisation of man..