The Science of Folklore: Aurelio Espinosa on Spain and the American Southwest.

Aurelio Espinosa (1880-1958) studied folklore in the American Southwest and Spain. Espinosa was one of the first academic folklorists to work with American materials and the first scholar to write about Mexican American culture. This paper is an attempt to re-insert this forgotten figure into the history of folklore studies. At the same time, drawing on new archival sources, this study will show that Espinosa's active support of Franco in Spain contributed to his theory of cultural transmission in the American Southwest. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]