The science of cultural science, a relatively new, still in its infancy, and appeared at the junction of such sciences as philosophy, psychology, history, linguistics, sociology and the like of the humanities. Concentrating the data of these sciences in the study of culture, its structure and dynamics of development, cultural studies uses their methods in their research.
It is important to note that there is no single scientific approach to the study of any subject. Each method has its own advantages, but also disadvantages, so for each study you need to carefully choose the methodology for solving the problem. Culturology as a related science with a variety of interdisciplinary connections uses various methods of cultural studies, as well as methods of related sciences.
The object of cultural studies is culture, as well as the world of culture, like a holistic structure.
Cultural research methods
The very first method should include the evolutionary method, which was effectively used at the initial stage of the development of cultural studies, first by the English school of E. Taylor, and then in the first half of the 20th century by L. Levy-Bruhl to analyze the connection of culture and characteristics of human thinking. This method, along with the dialectical one, studies culture as a dynamic structure with a chain of successive changes, and also takes into account changes that occur abruptly and even abruptly, such as the cultural revolution, is part of the historical method.
Cultural research methods also include the structural method. It focuses on the study of the structure of the cultural system and the relationships between elements of the system, for example, between religion and science.
Methods of cultural studies also include a functional method that explores the functions of culture, such as, for example, a cultural phenomenon such as religion and its impact on society. This method, from the point of view of functions, attaches great importance to the study of the interests and needs of people, how to satisfy their needs, since each cultural element has its own special function. The functional method, revealing the general laws of functioning of all cultures, gives an explanation to any cultural element.
The systemic method is also included in the methods of cultural studies. He studies any culture as a whole, in which everything is connected, without separate elements. Having studied these properties, this method allows you to give a general definition of any culture, for example, military.
The typological method is used in cultural studies to study and identify the type of culture, identifying the most characteristic and important features of this culture. This method allows you to identify such types of crops as western and eastern.
The comparative method is also actively used in cultural studies, as it allows, by comparing cultural phenomena and various cultures, to identify common morphological features, structure and characteristics of cultures.
The comparative method of culturological research allows a comparative historical analysis of various cultures or a certain area of culture for a certain period of time. Comparing usually some common area for these cultures to reveal their difference.
In addition to the above methods, cultural studies use methods used in various areas of society, for example, analysis and synthesis, abstraction, classification (sorting on the basis of one attribute of culture or cultural phenomenon), induction and deduction, and many others.
Using all possible methods, culturology allows you to study the world of culture and understand it.