About the Journal

Focus and Scope

SAFOS, publishers of the Southern African Journal for Folklore Studies, approaches the term "folklore" as one that describes either one of two concepts. The first is a field of learning devoted to the scientific study of cultural acts of a people, while the second concentrates on the subject matter of that field. The latter concept includes those who see folklore as comprising any of those beliefs, customs and traditions passed on from one generation to another by a people. That is, those who agree that much folklore consist of folk stories such as ballads, fairy tales, folktales legends, and myths. However, folklore also includes arts and crafts, dances, games, nursery rhymes, proverbs, riddles, songs, superstitions and holy days, holidays and religious celebrations. Notwithstanding the fact that oral folklore exists in direct contrast to physical folk life, which is generally referred to "material culture", it has become evident that most folklorists give prominence to the expressive literature of a people when they use the term "˜folklore". On the other hand, folk life can be seen as the traditional expressive culture shared within the group: familial, ethnic, occupational, religious and regional. Expressive culture includes a wide range of creative and symbolic forms such as folk custom, folk belief, technical skill, language, literature, art, music, play, dance, drama, ritual pageantry, traditional storytelling and other verbal arts, visual arts, architecture, the adornment and transformation of the built environment, handicraft and other material folk culture.

Peer Review Process

All articles submitted are subjected to a thorough peer review process conducted by at least two independent scholars of folklore. Reviewing is done anonymously and with complete confidentiality. Identities of authors and reviewers are at no stage ever divulged. Authors should therefore, avoid identifying themselves by, for example, inserting their initials, surnames or institutional affiliation in footnotes or in phrases between brackets and or braces.

Editorial Advisory Board

Prof RN Mádzhe (University of Limpopo)
Prof I Muwati (Great University of Zimbabwe)
Prof IJ Mhlambi (University of Witwatersrand)
Professor Mieder (USA)
Prof AM Maphumulo (University of KwaZulu-Natal)
Dr EJ Mohatlane (University of Free State)
Prof RH Kaschula (Rhodes University)
Prof E Kezilahabi (University of Botswana)
Prof MJ Mafela (University of South Africa)
Prof CF Swanepoel (University of South Africa)

Self-archiving Policy

Author's Pre-print:

author can archive pre-print (ie pre-refereeing)

Author's Post-print:

author can archive post-print (ie final accepted version post-refereeing)

Publisher's Version/PDF:

author cannot archive publisher's version/PDF

General Conditions:

  • On Institutional Repositories, social media repositories (Research Gate) and subject repositories 18 months embargo (from date of acceptance).
  • Must link to publisher version
  • Published source must be acknowledged with DOI