معرفی
Thomas A. DuBois is the Halls-Bascom Professor of Scandinavian Studies, Folklore, and Religious Studies in the Department of German, Nordic and Slavic at the University of Wisconsin-Madison. His academic work bridges multiple disciplines including Nordic studies, folklore studies, and religious studies, with a particular focus on Indigenous and traditional knowledge systems. He is deeply engaged in the Wisconsin Idea, connecting academic scholarship with public engagement and community collaboration.
Professor DuBois's research focuses on the ways people think about and use tradition in their lives, with particular attention to Finnish, Sámi, and medieval Nordic cultures, as well as Indigenous Wisconsin communities and descendants of Nordic settlers in North America and the British Isles. His work spans diverse topics including the Finnish national epic Kalevala, Viking Age religion, medieval Scandinavian saints' lives, Icelandic sagas, lyric and narrative song, shamanism, literature, wood carving, Indigenous cultures, sacral landscapes, and Sámi media. He approaches folklore not as static heritage but as a dynamic process of meaning-making that connects people to their cultural pasts while shaping their contemporary identities.
His recent publications reveal a growing interest in collaborative methodologies, Indigenous knowledge systems, and the intersection of traditional knowledge with contemporary educational practices. DuBois has increasingly focused on projects that bridge academic research with community engagement, particularly through digital tools like Siftr that facilitate participatory folklore collection. His work on Sámi snow terminology demonstrates how traditional ecological knowledge can transform contemporary understandings of environmental phenomena.
- Chancellor's Distinguished Teaching Award (2017)
Professor DuBois emphasizes a "learning with" rather than "learning from" approach to teaching, particularly with graduate students and advanced undergraduates. He frequently collaborates with students on research projects that result in shared publications and presentations. His work with the Bradley Learning Community brings academic scholarship into residential living communities for first-year students. DuBois has secured numerous grants supporting his collaborative research projects, particularly those involving Indigenous communities and digital humanities applications in folklore studies.
His research projects include the Wiigwaasi-Jiimaan Birchbark Canoe project, the Snow Challenge exploring Sámi snow terminology, The 4 Ps project on Finnish American cooking traditions, and the development of Siftr as a tool for the folklore classroom. These projects often involve collaborations with community members, students, and other scholars, reflecting his commitment to engaged scholarship that serves both academic and public audiences.
