Sarah Craycraft

Sarah Craycraft is a Lecturer and Head Tutor in the Folklore & Mythology department at Harvard University. She teaches courses on fieldwork, ethnography, and Appalachian folklore, and advises students on their curricula and senior thesis projects. Her research focuses on rurality, cultural transmission in Bulgaria and Appalachia, and critical heritage studies. She is currently writing a book titled The Village Project: Reimagining, Rebuilding, and Reconnecting in Contemporary Bulgaria, exploring young Bulgarians' roles in village revitalization.

Her academic background includes a PhD in Comparative Cultural Studies and Folklore from Ohio State University. Prior to Harvard, she was a Visiting Assistant Professor of Folklore at Indiana University. She actively participates in professional committees, including the Editorial Board of The Journal of American Folklore and the International Connections Committee of the Appalachian Studies Association.

Her work emphasizes community-engaged scholarship and public-facing research. Outside academia, she is involved in folk dance (Bulgarian horo), embroidery, and ultimate frisbee.