Folklore and the Qur’an: A Functionalist Study of Alan Dunde’s Fables of the Ancients? Folklore in the Qur’an

Folklore and the Qur’an: A Functionalist Study of Alan Dunde’s Fables of the Ancients? Folklore in the Qur’an

This study wants to explore the relationship between the holy Qur’an and Humanities from the Orientalists’ point of view, by reviewing Dundes’ (2003) Fables of the Ancients? Folklore in the Qur’an. The study also deploys Folkloric theory of Functionalism with a view to proving that the Qur’an is the epicenter of all knowledge. Theoretical Framework The theoretical framework is Functionalism. Functionalism in folklore studies, is the view that every folklore item must have a function. Here the expectation is that every proverb, tale folk belief, or ballad must satisfy some important cultural, social, or psychological function. (Green 1999:386). Functionalism emerged as a method of studying the life and culture of a society by examining the functions or roles performed by anything practiced in the society, (e.g the tales told by its members) as well as the ways in which these functions help to ensure the survival of the society. In spite of several approaches of functionalism, they share one element in common, that is studying the functions of folklore items within the context of their performance. Hence Bronislaw Malinowsk’s perspective is deployed for this study. Malinowski’s functionalist views are stated in his publications. For instance, in Argonauts of the Western Pacific (1922), he examines the traditional system of commerce carried on in these islands and the tales and rituals that 2

Malinowski’s functionalist views are stated in his publications. For instance, in Argonauts of the Western Pacific (1922), he examines the traditional system of commerce carried on in these islands and the tales and rituals that 2