Proverbs, Memes, and Epistemology. An Interview with Elena Zhigarina

Abstract

This article and commented interview with Elena Evgenievna Zhigarina, a specialist in structural paremiology and folklore studies, offers an analytical reflection on methodological principles for recording and studying proverbs, bywords, sayings, and other paremiological units in contemporary urban discourse. The work examines the variability and polyfunctionality of paremias, the dynamics of the Russian paremiological fund in the twenty-first century, and the shifting boundaries of paremiological space across generations. It reveals methodological approaches to participant observation in field collection of paremias, discusses practical and ethical complexities of such methodology, and analyzes phenomena of occasional paremiological transformations and the ephemerality of contemporary paremiological material. Central to the interview is the question of how traditional folklore adapts and transforms in the age of internet culture and digital memes. The conversation critically addresses epistemological questions about knowledge production and researcher reflexivity - specifically, the tension between the “scholarly voice” and the “personal voice” in documenting and interpreting contemporary folklore. The work emphasizes the importance of thick description and intersubjectivity in folklore research. The study makes a significant contribution to contemporary debates in folklore studies, digital ethnography, and linguistic pragmatics, illuminating how traditional paremias persist, hybridize, and evolve within the context of contemporary collecting practices.