What is Tradition?

Many people see 'tradition' as being a fixed body of lore and customs that is handed down intact from one generation to the next. Early 20th century folklorists believed that rural customs had remained unchanged for centuries, and were fossils from a simpler time. This view has been carried over into popular discourse to a large extent, but has been discredited in academia by new insights into culture and identity, which have been shown to be fluid and interpermeable.

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