Mapping Female Folklore Collectors in the Norwegian Folklore Archives

Abstract

This article adopts a map methodology to explore the forgotten female folklore collectors in the Norwegian Folklore Archives, examining their connections to the archive and what they collected. By focusing on historically invisible female collectors, the risk is that they are isolated as gender representatives and thus never become a part of the mainstream canon. Still, by literally putting these women on the map, it is our ambition that this will inspire a new take on the question of gender in the history of knowledge of folklore archives. The methodology employed combines remote reading and close reading, zooming in on a particular collector’s life and actions. The article reveals the spatial dimensions of mobility with the aim of expanding our understanding of the female collectors who left their mark on the collection of folklore.