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Themes in Omani Folktales

Jeanine A. Pfahlert, Independent Scholar

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FREE AND OPEN TO THE PUBLIC

Jeanine A. Pfahlert

Independent Scholar

Wednesday, October 17, 2018 12:30PM-1:30PM Rm. 2339 Faculty Administration Bldg

Oman, a nation in the Arab Gulf, is a land rich with folklore, frankincense, and fascination. Themes in Omani folklore include the contrast between justice and injustice and the difference between national and foreign. Tales of deceit, trickery and theft with chastising consequences inform audiences of the perils dishonesty brings. Despite loyalty to people, culture, and nation, Omani folktales include appearances from Saudi, Portuguese and Indian characters. Far from fundamentalist and rather cosmopolitan, these tales describe magical, Catholic, and Hindi influences in an Islamic cultural world. Besides themes of moral and national dichotomies or difference, Omani folktales feature recurring cameos from edibles, animals, and elements. Elements appearing in Omani folktales include gold, gifts and jewels while the animals include camels and snakes thus encompassing both sacred and profane through the animal world. Ordinary edibles like soup, dates and ghee seem to transform in the presence of thyme and beautiful women with other worldly characteristics and jinn. The boundaries between illusion and sobering reality recede in these folktales. While Omani edibles, animals and elements represent static components of the culture, accounts of childbirth, war and travel represent dynamic elements. Static and dynamic features interplay delivering justice and happy endings.

Dr. Jeanine A. Pfahlert earned her PhD in American Culture Studies in 2006 from Bowling Green State University in Bowling Green, Ohio. In 2008 she traveled to Oman and worked as Assistant Professor of Sociology and Cultural Studies at the Dhofar University in Salalah, Oman. She continues her research as Independent Scholar and search for a full-time academic appointment.

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