After reading this article, you will learn what cultural studies are, what this science studies, what varieties of it stand out and what other disciplines it interacts with. We will consider all this in detail. First of all, we should decide on the meaning of the concept of interest to us. Cultural studies is a term derived from the following ancient words: "cultura" (Latin, translated as "cultivation") and "logos" (Greek, "teaching"). It turns out that this is the science of culture. However, everything is not as simple as it seems at first glance. The word "culture" itself has several meanings. This should be taken into account in order to give a complete answer to the question: "What is cultural studies?"
What is culture?
In Adelung's "Dictionary" of 1793, this concept means the ennoblement of all the moral and mental qualities of a people or person. I. Herder gave it 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 on the whole coincide with the opinion of Kant, who connected the successes of culture with the development of the mind. Kant believed that the establishment of universal peace is the final goal towards which mankind aspires.
National and world culture
Culture is a multilevel system. It is customary to subdivide according to the carrier. Allocate, depending on this, national and world culture. The world one 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 uniqueness are manifested both in the spiritual sphere (language, religion, painting, music, literature) and in the material one (traditions of production and labor, features of housekeeping).
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 spiritual and material culture. However, this division is often conditional, since in reality they are interpenetrating and closely related. Some culturologists believe that it is wrong to classify certain types of culture only as spiritual and material. They permeate her entire system. This is an aesthetic, ecological, political, economic culture.
Culture and humanism
Culture is historically associated withhumanism, since it is based on a measure of human development. Neither scientific discoveries, nor technical achievements in themselves determine the level of culture of this or that society, if there is no humanity in it at the same time. Therefore, the humanization of society is its measure. The goal of culture can be considered the all-round 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 related to it in one way or another. You could even say that they flow from it.
The most important function of culture is the transmission of social experience. It is also called information, or the function of historical continuity. Culture, which is a complex sign 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 the continuity is broken, new generations are doomed to the loss of social memory.
Another important function of culture is epistemological (cognitive). This feature is closely related to the first one. Culture concentrates the experience of many generations, accumulates knowledge about the world and thereby creates favorable opportunities for its development and knowledge.
The normative (regulatory) function is associated with the definition of different types and aspects of personal and social activities of people. Culture influences behaviorperson in the sphere of everyday life, work, interpersonal relations. It regulates the actions and deeds of people, and even the choice of spiritual and material values. Note that the regulatory function relies on law and morality as normative systems.
Sign (semiotic) is another important function. Culture is a sign system. It presupposes knowing it, owning it. 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 certain axiological orientations and ideas in people. By their quality and level, we most often judge the culture of people. Intellectual and moral content is usually the evaluation criterion.
The emergence of cultural studies
Note that the concept of "culturology" arose relatively recently, in the late 19th - early 20th century. Researchers began to use it together with synonymous concepts. For example, E. B. Tylor, 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 W. F. Ostwald, a German philosopher, physicist and chemist, in his 1915 work "System of Sciences" proposed to call the totality of research and the branch of knowledge about the modes of activity that are specifically human, "culturology", or "the science of civilization".
This science has gone through several stages in its short historyits formation and development. The history of cultural studies is marked by the creation of a number of approaches. In addition, it distinguishes numerous models, or varieties. Today, there are 3 main approaches that define cultural studies as a science. Let's briefly characterize each of them.
Three sets
Firstly, it is a complex of disciplines that study culture. Secondly, this is a special section of the socio-humanitarian discipline. In this sense, this science in the study of culture relies on its own methods (for example, the philosophy of culture in philosophy). Thirdly, it is an independent scientific discipline that has unique specifics.
We will consider the subject and object of cultural studies from the perspective of the latter approach.
Object and subject of cultural studies
The object of science is a set of qualitatively defined processes and phenomena of reality, which, in their main features, internal nature, laws of development and functioning, are significantly different from other objects of this reality. The subject also expresses the interest of scientists in the study of a particular area of reality. It is clear that culture can be both the subject and the object of research. 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 non-biologically (by the method of education and training). This object of cultural studies is inherent not only in it, but also in various socio-humanitarian sciences.
WhatAs far as the subject is concerned, there are 2 points of view in the domestic literature. The first of them is that it is a culture "in the narrow sense of the word." Research interest in this case is directed to the following general aspects of human activity:
- sign, semiotic system (B. A. Uspensky, Yu. M. Lotman);
- means of mutual agreement 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 refers to the Leningrad school (Ikonnikova, Kagan, Bolshakov and others). 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 complete system.
Models (varieties) of cultural studies
It should be noted that the difficulties in determining the subject and object of research in cultural studies arise due to the specifics of culture, which is the link between a person and the world around 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 different methods. Today there are many models of cultural studies, but a single 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 deals with specific issues of cultural studies. Let's briefly characterize each of them.
Culturology philosophical definesthe essence of culture, how it differs from nature. Its main task is to explain and comprehend it by analyzing its most essential 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 determines 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 studies? It is easy to guess that it gives us knowledge about a particular culture in a particular historical period. However, its subject matter is somewhat broader. This is a regional, national, world culture or related to a certain era. This model states the facts, describes its manifestations and events in it, while highlighting the most outstanding achievements of mankind. These are the main tasks of historical culturology.
We have not considered all models (varieties) yet. What does sociological cultural studies study? It considers the socio-cultural phenomena and processes taking place in society. This model studies the functioning of culture as a whole in society. However, not only that. The tasks of sociological cultural studies include the study of individual subcultures.
Let's move on to the next model. It is necessary to tell about what psychoanalytic cultural studies studies. It explores the problems of the individual, which acts as a consumer and creator of the achievements of civilization. Its subject is the individual characteristics of a person's relationship to culture, the originality of hisspiritual conduct.
Ethnological (ethnic) cultural studies explores customs and traditions, rituals, beliefs and myths. In addition, she is interested in the way of life of pre-industrial, traditional societies and archaic peoples.
Culturology philological is engaged in the study of national culture through oral folk art, literature and language.
We have described only its main varieties, or models. To the question: "What is cultural studies?" 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, an ancient Greek philosopher. Culture is not inherited biologically, but only through upbringing, training, familiarization with it. Let us 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 history, political science, economic sciences, etc.);
- sciences about the general aspects of human activity (sociological, psychological, historical, etc.).
The development of cultural studies takes place in interaction 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. As part of interaction with the second group, a specific culturological method is singled out, which can be applied within any humanities and social sciences.
Interaction with history, ethnography, archeology and philosophy
The relationship between this science and history is obvious. Not a single textbook on history is complete without a story about the cultural achievements of the time, about the cultural life of people. In addition, the science that interests us is connected with ethnography, which studies the cultural and everyday characteristics of different nationalities. Archeology studies the history of society based on the material remains of human life. But the achievements of culture are spiritual and material values.
Archaeological methods allow you to study the achievements of various nationalities and historical eras. Philosophy is also related to cultural studies. It is a tool for cognition, forecasting, interpretation, and its theories are used. Cultural studies, like other sciences, needs 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 cultural studies are actively developing today. Universities offer students professional training in this field. Although specialists in this field are not in demand in the same way as, say, in the field of economics, many school graduates are considering the direction"culturology" as one of the priorities.
