Willow G. Mullins
Lecturer in Scottish Ethnology
Address
- Street
-
50 George Square
Rm 4.37 - City
- Edinburgh
- Post code
- EH8 9LH
Background
I specialize in folklore, the study of vernacular culture, and environmental humanities. My education has followed a multidisciplinary path from Brown University to Textile History and Conservation at the University of Rhode Island and subsquent internships at the National Museum of the American Indian and the St. Louis Art Museum, culminating in a PhD in Folklore and Culture Studeis from the University of Missoui. Before coming to Edinburgh's department of Celtic & Scottish Studies, I held posts in College Writing and American Studies at Washington University in St. Louis, teaching a range of courses centered on vernacular culture, including necrofolklore, foodways, contagion, and Missouri's natural history. I currently serve on the Learning & Teaching Committee as department Lead for Curriculum Change and on the Research Ethics Committe as lead for the School of Language, Literatures, and Cultures. Current research interests include vernacular time, traditional ways of knowing and wayfinding in changing landscapes, and craft communities.
CV
137376.pdf
Qualifications
Ph.D. Univeristy of Missouri, Folklore, Culture Studies, and Oral Tradition
M.Sc. University of Rhode Island, Textile Conservation
B.A. Brown University, Folklore
Responsibilities & affiliations
Department Roles
Lead for Curriculum Change, 2026 - present
Research Ethics, School Lead May 2026 - present
Learning & Teaching 2022-2025, Fall 2026
Research Ethics, Department Lead 2024 - May 2026
Department Head, 2025-2026
Membership
SIEF, International Society for Ethnology and Folklore
American Folklore Society
International Society for Narrative Research
Undergraduate teaching
Sustaining Scotland: Heritage, Cultural Sustainability, and Tourism (formerly Scotland & Heritage)
Scottish Studies 1A: Conceptualising Scotland
Museums and Cultural Representation: Nine Conversations at the Scottish National Museum
Material Culture
Ethnographic Fieldwork Methods
Open to PhD supervision enquiries?
Yes
Areas of interest for supervision
I am currently open to MScR and Ph.D. proposals.
Current PhD students supervised
'Ghosts in the Loom, Memories in the Cloth: Hauntings and the Transmission of Woven Tradition'.
'Dignity After Death: Investigating the possible contributions of ‘death positive’ community initiatives for intervention in the growth of Scottish public health funerals.’
'Witchcraft, Folklore, and Mediating Magic Belief in Modern Ireland, c. 1880—1945'
'Migrating Images from the Archive: Reframing Archaeological Photographs'
Research summary
My research uses ethnology and folklore as a basis from which to explore the intersections of the material, the vernacular, cultural representation, and sustainability.
Current research interests
My current projects explore how the environment intersects culture and cultural development through daily practices like weatherlore and foodways. These interests have centered on how we know what we know and how we find our way through changing landscapes. This research has led to two book-length projects: a monograph on vernacular time and a co-authored book on wayfinding that builds on my work on weatherlore. I am also working on two smaller community oriented projects on craft and community with the Scottish Women's Institute and on land and lore with Forgan Arts Centre. Two upcoming publications focus on looking at the historic gaps in ethnology archives and how they may be productive.Knowledge exchange
I am an active member of International Society for Ethnology and Folklore and the American Folklore Society. I typically present at 1-3 conferences per year. Current publishing projects are collaborative works with authors at universities in the US and Ireland.
Project activity
Splitting Seconds: Process, Resistance, and Vernacular Time Management. (monograph). Anticipated 2029.
What They Say: Wayfinding and Ways of Knowing in a Changing Environment. (co-written with Shelley Ingram). Anticipated 2028.
“Land and Lore.” A project on knowing the seasons with Forgan Arts Centre, Forgan, Scotland. 2026-2027.
“Stitching Community.” A project on place, craft, and community building with the Scottish Women’s Institute. 2026-2027.
Conference details
American Folklore Society Annual Meetings since 2006
SIEF: International Society of Ethnology and Folklore, since 2021
Nordic Ethnology, since 2022
International Society for Narrative Research, 2026
Society for Cinema and Media Studies, 2008-2009
Textile Society of America, 2001-2002
Invited speaker
“Travelling Both: Weaving and Walking, Narrative and Knowledge in the Modern Museum.” Folklore, Ethnology, and Ethnomusicology Conference Aberdeen. Aberdeen, 2023. Keynote.
Papers delivered
SELECTED PRESENTATIONS
“Contemporary Creation Stories: Creation/Destruction Where Sea Meets Shore.” International Society for Narrative Research. Reykjavik, 2026.
“The Taste of Summer: Domestic Food Practices, Vernacular Time, and a Changing Climate.” Nordic Ethnology & Folklore. Turku, 2025.
“Ghosts in the Archive.” SIEF (International Society for Ethnology and Folklore). Aberdeen, 2024.
“Steps and Missteps: Walking and the Limits of Knowledge in the Museum.” (International Society for Ethnology and Folklore. Brno, 2023.
“Canning Crisis: The Ethics and Aesthetics of Preserving Things in Jars.” RE:22 Nordic Ethnology. Reykjavik, 2022.
“Weatherlore and Belief in the Time of Climate Change.” SIEF (International Society for Ethnology and Folklore. Helsinki, 2021.
“Engaging with Discomfort: A Death Café on the Intersections between Folklore and Death.” American Folklore Society Annual Conference. Tulsa, Oklahoma, 2020.
“The Failed Joke: The Negative Space of Folklore.” American Folklore Society Annual Conference. Buffalo, New York, 2018.
“Deathly Things: The Materiality of Death in America.” American Folklore Society Annual Conference. Minneapolis, Minnesota, 2017.