معرفی
Madis Arukask is an Associate Professor (0.5 FTE) of Estonian and Comparative Folklore at the University of Tartu's Institute of Cultural Studies, holding dual roles as senior researcher and lecturer. His academic career began with a 1996 MA in Estonian Philology and 2003 PhD on Seto lyre-epic regilauls. Prior roles include Vice-Rector for Development at Viljandi Cultural Academy (2000–2006).
Research Focus: Baltic Finno-Ugric religious systems, regilaul epic genres, and modernization processes in Estonian culture. Fieldwork specialties include Votic communities in Russia's Leningrad Oblast (1997–2004) and Vepsian settlements in Karelia/Vologda (2004–present), with focus on shepherd magic, death communication, and poetic worldview analysis.
Affiliations: President of Estonian Academic Society for History of Religion, Board Chair at Fenno-Ugria Institute, and active member of Folklore Fellows' Society/SIEF. Research output spans 15+ years with over 30 peer-reviewed articles on Finnic folklore, religious syncretism, and oral traditions.
