After reading this article, you will learn what culturology is, what this science studies, what its varieties stand out and with what other disciplines it interacts. We will consider all this in detail. First of all, it is necessary to determine the significance of the concept that interests us. Culturology is a term derived from the following ancient words: "cultura" (Latin, translated as "cultivation") and "logos" (Greek, "teaching"). It turns out that this is a science of culture. However, everything is not as simple as it seems at first glance. The word "culture" has several meanings. This should be taken into account in order to give a complete answer to the question: "What is culturology?"
What is a culture?
In Adelung's Dictionary of 1793, this concept means the refinement of all the moral and mental qualities of a people or person. I. Herder gave him a number of different meanings. Among them, one can note the ability to develop new lands, domesticate animals; the development of trade, crafts, arts, sciences, etc. Herder's ideas as a whole coincide with Kant's opinion, which linked the successes of culture with the development of reason. Kant believed that the establishment of universal peace is the ultimate goal that humanity is striving for.
National and World Culture
Culture is a multi-level system. It is customary to subdivide by carrier. Allocate, depending on this, national and world culture. World is a synthesis of the best achievements of various national cultures and peoples inhabiting our planet.
National, in turn, is a synthesis of cultures of social strata, classes and groups of a particular society. Its originality, originality and originality are manifested both in the spiritual sphere (language, religion, painting, music, literature), and in the material (traditions of production and labor, especially farming).
Spiritual and material culture
Culture is also divided into genera and species. The basis for this division is the diversity of human activity . There is a spiritual and material culture. However, this unit is often conditional, since in reality they are interpenetrated and closely related. Some culturologists believe that certain types of culture are unlawful to attribute only to the spiritual and material. They permeate her entire system. This is an aesthetic, environmental, political, economic culture.
Culture and Humanism
Culture has historically been associated with humanism, since it is based on a measure of human development. Neither scientific discoveries nor technological advances alone determine the level of culture of a given society if there is no humanity in it. Consequently, the humanization of society is its measure. The goal of culture can be considered the comprehensive development of man.
Culture functions
There are many of them, we will list only the main ones. The main function is humanistic, or human-creative. All other functions are somehow connected with it. You could even say that they flow from it.
The most important function of culture is the transfer of social experience. It is also called information, or the function of historical continuity. Culture, which is a complex symbolic system, is the only mechanism by which the social experience of mankind is transmitted from one state to another, from era to era, from generation to generation. It is no coincidence that it is called the social memory of all mankind. If continuity is broken, new generations are doomed to lose social memory.
Another important function of culture is epistemological (cognitive). This function is closely related to the first. Culture focuses the experience of many generations, accumulates knowledge about the world and thereby creates favorable opportunities for its development and cognition.
Normative (regulatory) function is associated with the definition of different types and aspects of personal and social activities of people. Culture affects human behavior in the sphere of life, work, interpersonal relationships. It regulates the actions and actions of people, and even the choice of spiritual and material values. Note that the regulatory function is based on law and morality as normative systems.
Sign (semiotic) is another important function. Culture is a sign system. She suggests knowing her, owning her. It is impossible to master its achievements without studying sign systems.
The axiological (value) function is also very important. Culture is a system of values. It forms in people certain axiological orientations and ideas. By their quality and level, we most often judge the culture of people. Intellectual and moral content, as a rule, is an evaluation criterion.
The emergence of cultural studies
Note that the concept of "culturology" arose relatively recently, in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. Researchers began to use it along with synonymous concepts. For example, E. B. Taylor, an English anthropologist and ethnographer, gave the following title to the first chapter of his book, written in 1871 (Primitive Culture): The Science of Culture. And V.F. Ostwald, a German philosopher, physicist and chemist, in his 1915 work “System of Sciences” suggested calling the totality of research and the branch of knowledge about methods of activity that are specifically human, “culturology,” or “the science of civilization.”
This science in its short history has gone through several stages in its formation and development. The history of culturology is marked by the creation of a number of approaches. In addition, numerous models, or varieties, stand out in it. Today, there are 3 main approaches by which cultural science is defined as a science. Briefly describe each of them.
Three approaches
Firstly, it is a complex of disciplines that study culture. Secondly, this is a special section of socio-humanitarian discipline. In this sense, this science in the study of culture is based on its own methods (for example, the philosophy of culture in philosophy). Thirdly, it is an independent scientific discipline, which has a unique specificity.
We will consider the subject and object of cultural studies precisely from the perspective of the latter approach.
Object and subject of cultural studies
An object of science is a combination of qualitatively defined processes and phenomena of reality, in their main features, internal nature, laws of development and functioning, significantly different from other objects of this reality. The subject expresses the interest of scientists in the study of a particular area of reality. It is clear that culture can be both an object and an object of study. As an object, it is considered in the broad sense of the word. From this point of view, it is often defined as a combination of various methods and results of human activity, which are transmitted from generation to generation extrabiologically (by the method of education and training). This object of cultural science is inherent not only to it, but also to various socio-humanitarian sciences.
As for the subject, there are 2 points of view in Russian literature. The first of these is that it is a culture in the narrow sense of the word. Research interest in this case is aimed at the following general aspects of human activity:
- a symbolic, semiotic system (B. A. Uspensky, Yu. M. Lotman);
- Means of mutual coordination and mutual understanding in collective activity, that is, social norms existing in society (A. Ya. Flier);
- a set of meanings and values (A. A. Radugin, N. S. Chavchavadze).
The second point of view relates to the Leningrad school (Ikonnikova, Kagan, Bolshakov, etc.). According to her, it is important for cultural studies when studying culture that it is not so important to take into account its versatility. It is more important to consider it as a holistic system.
Models (varieties) of culturology
It should be noted that difficulties in determining the subject and object of research in cultural studies arise due to the specificity of culture, which is the connecting link between a person and the world surrounding him. In addition, it is a special form of being inherent in society and man. Therefore, it can be studied in different ways, that is, using various methods. Today there are many models of cultural studies, but a unified science has not yet been created. These models are based on different approaches and methods in the study of culture. They can be reduced to several main varieties. Each of them addresses specific issues of cultural studies. Let us briefly describe each of them.
Philosophical cultural science determines the essence of culture, how it differs from nature. Its main task is to explain and comprehend it by analyzing its most significant and common features. The subject of this model is the role, functions and structure of culture in the life of society and man. In addition, it identifies trends in the evolution of culture. And finally, this model reveals the reasons for its heyday and crisis, ups and downs.
What is historical cultural science? It is easy to guess that it gives us knowledge about a particular culture in a certain historical period. However, its subject is somewhat wider. This is a regional, national, world culture or related to a particular era. This model states the facts, describes its manifestations and events in it, highlighting the most outstanding achievements of mankind. These are the main tasks of historical cultural science.
We have not yet considered all models (varieties). What does sociological culturology study? She considers the sociocultural phenomena and processes taking place in society. This model studies the functioning in society of culture as a whole. However, not only that. The tasks of sociological cultural studies include the study of individual subcultures.
We proceed to consider the following model. It is necessary to tell about what psychoanalytic culturology is studying. She explores the problems of personality, which acts as a consumer and creator of the achievements of civilization. Its subject is the individual characteristics of a person’s attitude to culture, the uniqueness of his spiritual behavior.
Ethnological (ethnic) cultural studies explores the customs and traditions, rites, beliefs and myths. In addition, she is interested in the lifestyle of pre-industrial, traditional societies and archaic peoples.
Philology of philology is engaged in the study of national culture through folklore, literature and language.
We have described only its main varieties, or models. To the question: "What is culturology?" we answered. Now let's talk about what disciplines and sciences it interacts with.
Interaction with socio-humanitarian disciplines
Culture is called "second nature." This expression belongs to Democritus, the ancient Greek philosopher. Culture is not inherited biologically, but only through education, training, familiarization with it. Consider how the science of interest interacts with other socio-humanitarian disciplines. All of them are divided into the following two groups:
- those sciences, the subject of which is distinguished in accordance with the type of specialized activity (for example, pedagogy, religious studies, art studies, political science, economic sciences, etc.);
- sciences about the general aspects of human activity (sociological, psychological, historical, etc.).
The development of cultural studies occurs in collaboration with the first group. Here, the science of interest to us acts as a sphere of interdisciplinary synthesis. She is interested in what general patterns of development can be found in politics, economics, religion and other areas of activity. In the framework of interaction with the second group, a specific culturological method is distinguished that can be applied within any humanitarian and social sciences.
Interaction with history, ethnography, archeology and philosophy
The relationship of this science with history is obvious. Not a single textbook on history can do without a story about the cultural achievements of the time, about the cultural life of people. In addition, the science we are interested in is associated with ethnography, which studies the cultural and everyday characteristics of different nationalities. Archeology on the material remnants of human life studies the history of society. But cultural achievements are spiritual and material values.
Archaeological methods allow us to study the achievements of various nationalities and historical eras. Philosophy is also associated with cultural studies. It is a tool of knowledge, forecasting, interpretation, its theories are used. Cultural studies, like other sciences, need a philosophy on which all branches of knowledge are based. It helps to understand the essence of civilization, evaluate society, as well as the level of development of culture from a certain angle.
So, we have revealed the stated topic. In conclusion, we add that today culturology is actively developing. Universities offer students training in this area. Although specialists in this field are not in demand in the same way as, say, in the field of economics, many school graduates consider the direction of "cultural studies" as one of the priorities.