معرفی
Barbara Hillers is an Associate Professor in the Department of Folklore and Ethnomusicology at Indiana University Bloomington's College of Arts & Sciences. She specializes in Irish and Scottish folklore, with particular expertise in folk narrative traditions, ballads, and charms.
Education:
- Ph.D., Harvard University, 1997
- M.Phil, University College Dublin, 1990
- B.A., The Queen's University of Belfast, 1987
Professor Hillers' research focuses on oral narrative traditions in Ireland and Scotland, the international ballad tradition and Gaelic narrative song, Irish narrative charms in their European context, tradition archives and digitization, gender and women's space in folk narrative, and the reception of classical literature in medieval Ireland. Her work bridges folklore studies, Celtic studies, and medieval literature, examining how oral traditions interact with written texts and how folklore reflects cultural values and historical contexts.
Her recent publications demonstrate a consistent focus on narrative charms, medieval Irish adaptations of classical texts, and the preservation of Gaelic oral traditions. She has been particularly active in digital folklore projects, including the digitization of traditional archives and the development of accessible digital resources for Gaelic storytelling traditions.
Scientific Awards:
- Irish Research Council and the UK Arts and Humanities Research Council Grant, 2022
- Indiana University Trustees Teaching Award, 2022
Professor Hillers has received significant research funding for her work on Gaelic traditional narrative, including a major binational grant from AHRC and Irish Research Council for 'Decoding Hidden Heritages in Gaelic Traditional Narrative with Text-Mining and Phylogenetics.' She is also the founding member and co-organizer of the Irish Conference of Folklore and Ethnology, demonstrating her commitment to building scholarly communities around Irish folklore studies.
She has developed extensive resources for the study of Irish language, including the textbook series 'Buntus na Gaeilge: Irish for Adult Learners,' and has been instrumental in the restoration and analysis of important folklore films like 'Oidhche Sheanchais' (A Night of Storytelling), Robert Flaherty's 1934 Gaelic movie.
