User:Ethnosensei

Ethnosensei defines himself as a folklorist; that is, as someone who observes how communities generate their own identities and traditions, and pass them on to other people. His work began in an old-fashioned way, studying Appalachian ballads and folktales. But as he continued, he became more and more intrigued by the kinds of folklore that people were continually generating in response to contemporary concerns.

During his active career (at a small campus of Penn State Hazleton) he wrote a number of academic books and articles on contemporary legends, rumors, moral panics, and conspiracy theories. In 2000 he became interested in the ways that Japanese anime used motifs and narrative techniques from Western fairy tales. In addition to publishing an article on Cardcaptor Sakura in The Japanification of Children's Popular Culture, he presented a number of papers at academic conferences on folklore generated by the anime fan base.

Although now retired due to a severe hearing problem, he continues to contribute notes and articles to journals on the topic. He is best known as the curator of Sensei's Anime Gallery, an online display of animation art, largely with a folklore-related subject.