Barbro Klein (1938 – 15 January 2018) was a Swedish professor of

ethnology Ethnology (from the , meaning 'nation') is an academic field and discipline that compares and analyzes the characteristics of different peoples and the relationships between them (compare cultural, social, or sociocultural anthropology). Sci ...

. After a bachelor's degree at the

Stockholm University Stockholm University (SU) () is a public university, public research university in Stockholm, Sweden, founded as a college in 1878, with university status since 1960. With over 33,000 students at four different faculties: law, humanities, social ...

in 1961, she obtained a scholarship to study at

Indiana University Bloomington Indiana University Bloomington (IU Bloomington, Indiana University, IU, IUB, or Indiana) is a public university, public research university in Bloomington, Indiana, United States. It is the flagship university, flagship campus of Indiana Univer ...

where she received her Ph.D. in

folklore studies Folklore studies (also known as folkloristics, tradition studies or folk life studies in the UK) is the academic discipline devoted to the study of folklore. This term, along with its synonyms, gained currency in the 1950s to distinguish the ac ...

and anthropology in 1970 under the direction of

Richard Dorson Richard Mercer Dorson (March 12, 1916 – September 11, 1981) was an American folklorist, professor, and director of the Folklore Institute at Indiana University. Dorson has been called the "father of American folklore"Nichols, Amber M.Richard M. ...

. She returned to Scandinavia in 1983, to take a position at the Stockholm University. Klein was Director emerita of the Swedish Collegium for Advanced Study (SCAS), and a member of the executive board of the

American Folklore Society The American Folklore Society (AFS) is the United States (US)-based professional association for folklorists, with members from the US, Canada, and around the world, which aims to encourage research, aid in disseminating that research, promote t ...

. In 2017, she was awarded the H. M. The King's Medal for “significant contributions to Swedish and international scholarship and as an ethnologist.” Klein wrote extensively on oral narration, rituals, and expressive culture, often in multi-ethnic settings. Her main fields were the folklore of Northern America and Scandinavia.

Selected writings

*(1980) ''Legends and Folk Beliefs in a Swedish-American Community: A Study in Folklore and Acculturation'' *(2000) ''The Moral Content of Tradition: Homecraft, Ethnology, and Swedish Life in the Twentieth Century. Western Folklore.'' *(2006) ''Narrating, Doing, Experiencing: Nordic Folkloristic Perspectives (edited with Annikki Kaivola-Bregenhøj and Ulf Palmenfelt)''

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Klein, Barbro 1938 births 2018 deaths Swedish folklorists Swedish women folklorists Indiana University Bloomington alumni Stockholm University alumni Members of the Royal Gustavus Adolphus Academy