CONTEMPORARY LEGEND STUDIES: TRENDS, RESOURCES, AND PROSPECTS

DOI: 10.18173/2354-1067.2024-0043

Abstract

With the ability to fill gaps in humanempirical knowledge with hypotheses about the'metaphysical workings' of the world,contemporary legends have become a valuableresource for scholars interested in how ancienttraditions, indigenous cultures, and contemporarysocieties interact and define each other in the realworld and through media. This study aims toprovide an overview and an introduction tofoundational concepts and debates surrounding arelatively new subgenre of folklore in Vietnam,focuses on a summary of the primary researchtrends, and establishes the role and position of thissubgenre within the system of folk narrativegenres. The study also emphasizes the availableresources, potential research prospects, and themesrelated to this rapidly developing subgenreworldwide.