The Folklorist Who Helped Build Contemporary Legend Studies
A field becomes visible when scholars can find one another.
Paul Smith helped create the conferences, bibliographies, newsletters, and organizations that allowed researchers of strange modern stories to compare evidence across borders.
The work was less glamorous than discovering one famous legend. It was more durable: building the shelves on which an entire subject could stand.
| Field | Details |
|---|---|
| Full name | Paul Smith |
| Profession | Folklorist and contemporary-legend scholar |
| Academic association | University of Sheffield and Memorial University of Newfoundland |
| Known for | Sheffield contemporary-legend conferences and collaborative reference works |
| Professional service | First president of the International Society for Contemporary Legend Research |
| Archive connection | Research networks, bibliographies, and international legend comparison |
Who Is Paul Smith?
Paul Smith is a British folklorist whose research includes contemporary legend, folk drama, and traditional performance. He worked closely with the Centre for English Cultural Tradition and Language at Sheffield and later with Memorial University of Newfoundland.[1]
His career is closely linked with Gillian Bennett. Together they edited reference works and collections that gave contemporary-legend scholarship an international record.
The Sheffield Conferences
A 1982 conference at Sheffield brought together scholars studying modern legends. Further meetings followed, producing the Perspectives on Contemporary Legend volumes.
The conferences demonstrated that stories treated as local curiosities had international variants. Researchers needed shared terms, bibliographies, and regular contact to trace them.
Building an International Field
Smith became the first president of the International Society for Contemporary Legend Research, founded in 1988. With Bennett, he compiled Contemporary Legend: A Folklore Bibliography and edited Contemporary Legend: A Reader.[2]
Bibliography is analytical infrastructure. It reveals repeated subjects, missing regions, and conversations scholars might otherwise unknowingly duplicate.
Why Paul Smith Still Matters
Smith’s work shows that archives depend on coordination. A legend crossing national borders cannot be understood from one country’s collection alone.
By organizing the field, he helped turn “urban legend” from a popular label into a sustained comparative research program.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is Paul Smith a folklorist?
Yes. He is a folklorist known especially for contemporary-legend research and the study of traditional drama.
What were the Sheffield conferences?
They were influential international meetings on contemporary legend beginning in 1982, with proceedings published in a multi-volume series.
What is ISCLR?
The International Society for Contemporary Legend Research supports scholarship on actively circulating legends and related beliefs.
Did Paul Smith work with Gillian Bennett?
Yes. They collaborated on conferences, bibliographies, readers, and collections of urban legends.
Related Pages
Sources and Further Reading
- Memorial University. “Paul Smith.”
- Gillian Bennett and Paul Smith, eds. Contemporary Legend: A Reader.
- International Society for Contemporary Legend Research.
- Gillian Bennett and Paul Smith. Contemporary Legend: The First Five Years. Sheffield Academic Press, 1990.
Last reviewed: September 2026.