The Dublin Seminar for New England Folklife is an ongoing series of conferences, exhibitions, and publications exploring the everyday life, work, and culture of New England’s past.
The seminar was founded on the premise that traditional lore and material folk culture are rapidly disappearing in New England. Starting with a conference in Dublin, New Hampshire, in 1976, our gatherings focus scholarly attention on emerging areas of folk studies, regional and local history, cultural geography, historical archaeology, and vernacular and antiquarian studies.
The purpose of the Dublin Seminar has always been to create a place where scholars from a range of settings, students, and committed avocational researchers can pool their knowledge and exchange ideas, sources, and methods. The seminar welcomes all participants—researchers, curators, educators, librarians, and members of the general public—who wish to join in deep conversation around the year’s theme.
Each Dublin Seminar conference has a specific theme and produces a printed collection of papers, preserving the scholarship for others to share. We are an independent non-profit corporation, but we organize our conferences in partnership with Historic Deerfield and other organizations dedicated to the study of that year’s topic.
Over the years we have been fortunate to work with many history organizations in New England. Before our current partnership with Historic Deerfield, we were closely connected with the American & New England Studies Program at Boston University. Conference co-sponsors have included the:
- American Antiquarian Society
- University of New Hampshire
- Society for the Preservation of New England Antiquities (Historic New England)
- Costume Society of America
- Pocumtuck Valley Memorial Association
- Society of Civil War Historians
- Peabody Essex Museum
- Mystic Seaport
- Concord Antiquarian Society (Concord Museum)
- Peabody Essex Museum
- New England Historic Genealogical Society
- Association for Gravestone Studies
- Early American Industries Association
- Eric Sloane Museum
- UMass Public History Program and UMass History Department
- American & New England Studies Program at Boston University
The Currier Gallery of Art presented exhibitions in connection with our conferences, and other museums have welcomed us on field trips.
We are grateful to them all.
Dublin Seminar for New England Folklife 