Today, in the context of globalization, national culture is the subject of close attention not only of cultural scientists and historians, but also political scientists. The study of the origin of the ethnos, its interaction with other peoples, allows you to fill in the gaps that still exist in knowledge about the ancient strata of traditional culture.
Culture is a complex and multi-valued phenomenon. The concepts of traditional ethnic culture are divided, which include traditions and other elements of spiritual life that appeared during the period of the birth of the people, and the ethnic culture of our time, which also includes the latest innovations adapted to the values of the ethnic group. The latter concept is also known as “national culture”.
Its definition is as follows: it is a combination of values, beliefs, beliefs and traditional symbols inherent in people living in one country. Such a complex of spiritual characteristics can be formed only in a homogeneous ethnic and linguistic environment. Therefore, in the state there can be only one national culture. However, there are exceptions. Due to some features of historical development, several national cultures have formed in some countries, so in such cases it is necessary to highlight the part that is shared by the majority of the population. The rest are defined as cultures of national minorities. Between them, relations of dialogue or intercultural conflicts can be established.
However, it is not limited to only a homogeneous ethnic community . For the full development of the nation, a higher level of differentiation of spiritual orientations is required than that characteristic of the ethnic unity of people. In each social or demographic layer (group), differences in the way of thinking, life, behavior from national norms are embodied. These are subcultures (youth, religious denominations, criminal circles, etc.). Cultures are especially distinguished by social and professional grounds. From this it becomes apparent that the nation is not formed through the establishment of uniformity. In fact, it is a rather heterogeneous formation, which consists of different components. Each of them individually contains common features of that culture, which distinguish a particular people.
National culture is the sum of ethnic cultures. But this amount is not mechanical, it has something on top of this: own traits that arose even at a time when representatives of different ethnic groups realized that they belong to the same nation. This happened during the historical period of the country's development, when large social groups realized that they are connected with the land on which they live, have a common language, traditions and symbols.
National culture is able to unite people who live in fairly large spaces; not related by blood relationship and relationship. The main condition for this unity is a special type of social communication associated with the emergence of written language and a common literary language among these people. It was this condition that made it possible to unite the nation around a literate part of the population, which was able to perceive ideas expressed in writing.
It is important that the national culture is built precisely on the basis of a written culture. In this aspect, it can be compared with the spiritual life of an ethnos, which can successfully exist in a non-written form. For example, in this form of culture, backward tribes of Africa exist to the present day.
The national culture is studied mainly by philological science, which deals with written monuments. Ethnic is investigated by anthropology and ethnography.