CFS Director Katey Borland gave the opening keynote address at the 15^th SIEF (International Society for Ethnology and Folklore) Congress, “Breaking the Rules? Power, Participation, Transgression,” hosted virtually by the University of Helsinki for 1200 delegates from 3 continents. Katey’s topic was “Slow Activism: Lessons from Citizen Scientists” and she foregrounded the work of the Friends of the Scioto Brush Creek, collaborators of the Ohio Field School, along with the participation of Ohio State students and the intellectual contribution of folklore PhD candidate Jordan Lovejoy.

In her introduction, Professor Lotte Tarkka commented on Katey’s performative pedagogy during her time as the Fulbright Bicentennial Chair in Finland in 2018-19, noting, “For many of our quite restricted students this was a transformative experience.” The talk was followed by a lively hourlong discussion.