Welcome to my website
David Clarke is Associate Professor in the Department of Media Arts and Communication at Sheffield Hallam University, UK. He teaches media law and his research specialism is contemporary legend. Previously he worked as a journalist for The Sheffield Star and Yorkshire Post and spent four years working as a Press Officer in local government. His PhD in Folklore and was completed at the National Centre for English Cultural Tradition, University of Sheffield, in 1999. From 2008-13 he acted as consultant and curator of the MoD UFO files project with The National Archives. His books include The Angel of Mons (2004) and How UFOs Conquered the World: the history of a modern myth (2015). In 2018 he co-founded the Centre for Contemporary Legend at Sheffield Hallam University. This blog covers his twin research interests in journalism and folklore. The views expressed in the contents are entirely his own.
What is Folklore?
Once upon a time… ‘Folklore’ meant ancient ballads or fairy tales or the peculiar superstitions and customs of ‘primitive’ peoples. Today folklore is a tool for studying custom and belief, urban legends, modern myth and even rumours spread via the internet. Much folklore can be found online and buried in the narrative content of media and social networking - from legends and reports of ghosts, UFOs and 'big cats' to language, customs and traditions. The study of folklore is centrally and crucially important 'in our attempts to understand our own behaviour and that of our fellow human beings' according to one scholarly definition. Folklore is a vital and ongoing area of study and one of the few academic disciplines that engage, in a fundamental way, with everyday life.My Tweets
- RT @jonronson: Sorry, deleted and reposted. 20 years ago this week, my first book Them was published. Here I am writing about whether the c… 19 hours ago
- @magoniareview A vintage expression! 23 hours ago
- The Royal Flying Saucerer: #PrincePhilip's interest in #flyingsaucers and #UFOs revealed by archive documents: drdavidclarke.co.uk/2021/04/11/pri… 1 day ago
- @DianeARodgers The page seems to have been removed or crashed because of the number of complaints 1 day ago
- RT @magoniareview: Have any of the media tributes to the Duke of Edinburgh mentioned his interest in UFOs and that he was a subscriber to F… 1 day ago
Blog Stats
- 705,584 hits
Snopes.com – Rumour has it…
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Magonia Blog
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Mark Pilkington & John Lundberg – Folklore & Deception in the UFO Age
- Mirage Men in The Guardian August 18, 2014
- Mirage Men Double Disc DVD June 16, 2014
- UFOs and F-14s over Iran May 2, 2014
- We have lift off! March 27, 2014
- Mirage Men revealed by Greenwald? February 25, 2014
Bob Sheaffer’s Bad UFOs
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The Skeptic magazine
- Ooops! TWO errors in previous message! October 1, 2015
- October Spookiness! October 1, 2015
- Empirical Sex Talk on Dacryphilia, tonight October 1, 2015
- Little Atoms 393 – Timothy Snyder & Black Earth September 30, 2015
- Ash Pryce on "How to talk to the dead" @ Greenwich SitP, 7:30 pm, 7/10/15 September 30, 2015
Charles Fort Institute Blog
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Curt Collins on saucers in pop culture
- 40 years and the Cash-Landrum UFO Case December 11, 2020
- Flying Saucer Swindlers: Four Convictions November 6, 2020
- UAP Task Force: The Pentagon Responds to Questions September 2, 2020
- UFO Documents: Provenance and Credibility by Barry Greenwood June 28, 2020
- Pentagon Answers on Navy UAP Investigations May 18, 2020
Andrew May’s Forteana blog
- Pseudoscience and Science Fiction October 9, 2016
- Astronomical debunking October 2, 2016
- Contradiction - the All-Video Murder Mystery September 25, 2016
- Sacred Porn September 18, 2016
- Astronomical computers (old ones) September 11, 2016
Paul Kimball’s The Other Side of Truth: Don’t believe, don’t disbelieve. Think
- Synchronicity, Irish Style September 9, 2019
- Project Blue Book - A Review January 28, 2019
- Stan Friedman Retires March 13, 2018
- Halifax gets Haunted! September 29, 2017
- Haunted Extra, Vol. 1.01 - Queen's County Museum Revisited August 17, 2017
Tag Archives: Sheffield Star
25 years ago: Alien film a FAKE says movie wizard
25 years ago crowds gathered to see the world premiere of the ‘alien autopsy‘ film at an international UFO congress held at Sheffield Hallam University. At the time I was journalist at the Sheffield Star and according to expert Philip … Continue reading
Where Eagles Dare…and the Sun never sets
Sheffield Star/South Yorkshire Times, 21 May 2016. David Clarke took a cruise along Norway’s rugged coastline to see the Midnight Sun and experienced Arctic wildlife at close quarters. ‘We can never guarantee that you will see them’, one of our … Continue reading
Lore & Legend on The Pennine Way
The mysterious Longdendale Lights and other legends of Derbyshire’s Peak District will feature in a new BBC series marking the 50th anniversary of The Pennine Way. First opened in 1965, the 268-mile trail stretches from Edale in the High Peak … Continue reading
Hunting the Northern Lights
One of my ambitions has always been to take a voyage beyond the Arctic Circle in search of the elusive aurora borealis, or Northern Lights. For years I have been fascinated by the mythology of the lights and the stories … Continue reading
Yorkshire ‘Ghost Plane’ puzzle solved
The mystery surrounding the identity of a hedge-hopping ‘ghost plane‘ that puzzled motorists in the Yorkshire Dales has been solved. Photographer Anita Skinner captured two dramatic images of a ‘large matte grey plane’ as it swooped dangerously low over Wharfedale … Continue reading
Scared to Death
The Fortean Times Unconvention 2011 – billed as the world’s weirdest weekend – returns to London in November. I’m on the bill for both days (12 and 13 November): on the Saturday I will be speaking about my research into … Continue reading