Final Year Project

Project Title

Commodification of Pakistani Folktales: How Has Transmission of Folktales Evolved over Generations?

Description

This research endeavours to study the representation of, in particular, the folktales of Heer Ranjha and Anarkali in popular media and its impact on generational transmission of these folktales in Pakistan. The study conducts a comparative analysis between prevalent themes and story elements of the different reproductions of each folktale. It also includes data collected from a survey of a sample comprising of respondents from different age groups. The survey is used to gauge awareness, familiarity and perceptions towards the folktales across different age groups. The culture of globalisation framework helps situate the youth’s distancing from traditional culture and the decrease in awareness of Pakistani folktales as a result of their developing transnational identity. Moreover, the theory of intangible cultural heritage furthers the importance of why protection and promotion of cultural heritage like the folk culture is essential to a community’s social development. Based on its findings, this research advocates for preservation of folktales as part of cultural heritage through modernisation of form but due consideration of cultural sensitivity and authenticity.