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 @dallascampbell: On today’s #patented podcast I’m taking to the excellent @shuclarke about the ‘invention’ of the flying saucer/UFO/UAP.… 1 day ago
- RT @HistoryHit: Today on Patented @dallascampbell is joined by journalist and author @shuclarke to discuss all things UFO — from the moment… 1 day ago
- @disclosureteam_ @BC_OceanGirl_ MoD currently investigating loss of original report. Destruction of a public record is a criminal offence. 2 days ago
- RT @SensoriaFest: Join us for our FREE 'Outlaw's Picnic' June 2nd 11am - 4pm. Live music, heritage & folklore talks, books, art, B'Reyt Dou… 4 days ago
- Most #ufos can be identified but a few defy explanation, US intelligence chiefs tell Congress. Well what a surprise… twitter.com/i/web/status/1… 6 days ago
Blog Stats
- 746,312 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
- Bill Moore and UFO Disinformation Accusations April 29, 2022
- The Pentagon UFO Program: Documents Released April 7, 2022
- UFOs: The Long Black Road December 23, 2021
- Contact in Texas: The Lost UFO Photos November 18, 2021
- The Pentagon's Updated Statement: AATIP Studied UAPs May 22, 2021
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
- Who Are They? What Do They Want? May 16, 2021
- An Empty Suit April 20, 2021
- Synchronicity, Irish Style September 9, 2019
- Project Blue Book - A Review January 28, 2019
- Stan Friedman Retires March 13, 2018
Tag Archives: The Guardian
ATTACK OF THE DRONES
At 9pm on Wednesday, 19 December 2018, a security guard left work at Gatwick in Sussex, Britain’s second busiest airport. As he waited in the rain for a bus he saw two lighted objects hovering low in the sky inside … Continue reading
THE STONES OF THE CROOKED GLEN
A Halloween story published by The Guardian newspaper reveals how a group of mysterious stones continue to be venerated in a remote Scottish glen. The Tigh nam Bodach or House of the Cailliche (Old Woman) is a small rocky shrine … Continue reading
Folklore: 10 things you didn’t know about Halloween
What is the history of Halloween and when was it first celebrated? Why do we trick or treat? Why do we carve pumpkins? Dr David Clarke of the Centre for Contemporary Legend, Sheffield Hallam University, investigates the origins of this … Continue reading
Farewell to the ‘mystical astronaut’: Edgar Mitchell 1930-2016
Edgar Mitchell, the sixth man to walk on the moon who became a celebrity believer in the UFO myth, has died aged 85. The Guardian newspaper once described the retired NASA astronaut as being an unlikely name on the list … Continue reading
‘I have some stuff you might be interested in…’: Edward Snowden and the ultimate secret
When four years ago Wikileaks published 250,000 US state department cables dating back to the 1960s, a believer in ET visitations asked why, in the great mass of data, there was not one major UFO secret. Soon afterwards, during a … Continue reading
UFO files – saved!
After six decades of official indifference UFO records have been finally recognised by Britain’s Ministry of Defence as being ‘historically significant’. MoD’s ‘Guidance for Record Reviewers’, lists files on ‘unidentified flying objects‘ alongside those concerning nuclear testing, Special Forces and … Continue reading
Dowsing for Death
News that three British government departments promoted the sale of useless bomb detectors to security forces around the world has caused shock and outrage. But this is just the latest example of otherwise skeptical military and defence officials who have … Continue reading
Space Age Folklore
Folklore is often regarded as something ‘other people’ have, certainly not educated people such as NASA staff at California’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory. But a story on Stuart Clark’s Across The Universe blog for The Guardian demonstrates that we all have folklore … Continue reading
Silly Season Survey
Yes folks it’s August and we have officially entered the period of the summer that journalists have traditionally called ‘the Silly Season’. If you are a journalist please fill out a questionnaire to take part in my research into the origins … Continue reading