What is culturology? The relationship of cultural studies with other sciences

After reading this article, you will learn what is culturology, what this science is studying, what sorts of its species stand out and with what other disciplines it interacts. All this we will consider in detail. First of all, it is necessary to determine the importance of the concept of interest to 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 the science of culture. However, everything is not as simple as it seems at first glance. The very word "culture" has several meanings. This should be taken into account in order to give a full answer to the question: "What is culturology?"

What is culture?

In the "Dictionary" of Adelung in 1793 this concept means the ennobling of all the moral and intellectual qualities of the people or man. I. Herder gave him a number of different meanings. Among them, one can note the ability to master new lands, domesticate animals; The development of trade, crafts, arts, sciences, etc. Herder's ideas on the whole coincide with the opinion of Kant, which linked the successes of culture with the development of reason. Kant believed that the establishment of universal peace is the ultimate goal to which humanity aspires.

National and world culture

Culture is a multilevel system. It is accepted to subdivide it according to the carrier. Allocate, depending on this, national and world culture. The 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 uniqueness, originality and uniqueness are manifested both in the spiritual sphere (language, religion, painting, music, literature) and in the material (the traditions of production and labor, the peculiarities of farming).

Spiritual and material culture

Culture is also divided into genera and species. The basis for this division is the diversity of human activities. There is a spiritual and material culture. However, this unit is often conditional, since in reality they are interpenetrable and closely related. Some culturologists believe that it is wrong to attribute certain types of culture only to the spiritual and material. They permeate its entire system. This is an aesthetic, ecological, political, economic culture.

Culture and Humanism

Culture is historically associated with humanism, because it is based on a measure of human development. Neither scientific discoveries nor technological achievements determine in themselves the level of culture of a particular society, if there is no humanity in it. Consequently, the humanization of society is its yardstick. The goal of culture can be considered the all-round development of man.

Functions of culture

There are many of them, we list only the main ones. The main function is humanistic, or human-creative. All other functions are somehow related to it. You can even say that they flow from it.

The most important function of culture is the transfer of social experience. It is also called informational, or a function of historical continuity. Culture, which is a complex sign system, is the only mechanism by which the social experience of humanity is transferred from one state to another, from era to era, from generation to generation. It is therefore not accidental that it is called the social memory of all mankind. If continuity is broken, new generations are doomed to the loss of social memory.

Another important function of culture is epistemological (cognitive). This function is closely related to the first. Culture concentrates in itself the experience of many generations, accumulates knowledge about the world and creates thereby favorable opportunities for its mastering and cognition.

The normative (regulative) function is connected with the definition of different types and aspects of personal and social activity of people. Culture influences human behavior in the sphere of life, work, interpersonal relations. It regulates the actions and actions of people, and even the choice of spiritual and material values. Note that the regulatory function relies on law and morality as a normative system.

The sign (semiotic) is another important function. Culture is a sign system. It involves 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 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 the criterion of evaluation.

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 along with synonymous terms. 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 VF Ostwald, German philosopher, physicist and chemist, in the work of 1915, the "System of Sciences" proposed to call the totality of studies and the branch of knowledge about modes of activity that are specifically human, "culturology", or "the science of civilization."

This science for 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, it is distinguished by numerous models, or varieties. Today, there are 3 basic approaches, with the help of which as a science is determined by culturology. Briefly describe each of them.

Three approaches

Firstly, it is a complex of disciplines that study culture. Secondly, this is a special section of social and 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, this is an independent scientific discipline, which has a unique specificity.

It is from the standpoint of the latter approach that we will consider the object and object of cultural studies.

Object and subject of culturology

The object of science is the totality of qualitatively defined processes and phenomena of reality, in its basic features, internal nature, the laws of development and functioning essentially different from other objects of this reality. The subject expresses the interest of scientists in the study of this or that realm of reality. It is clear that culture can act as a subject and object of research. As an object, it is considered in the broadest sense of the word. From this point of view, it is often defined as a set of different ways and results of human activity that are transmitted from generation to generation outside the biology (by education and training). This object of culturology is inherent not only to it, but also to various social and humanitarian sciences.

As for the subject, there are 2 points of view in the domestic literature. The first of these is that this culture is "in the narrow sense of the word." The research interest in this case is directed to the following general aspects of human activity:

- sign, semiotic system (BA Uspensky, Yu. M. Lotman);

- Means of mutual agreement and mutual understanding in collective activities, that is, existing social norms in society (A. Ya. Flier);

- a set of meanings and values (AA Radugin, NS Chavchavadze).

The second point of view refers to the Leningrad school (Ikonnikova, Kagan, Bolshakov and others). According to her, for cultural studies, it is not important to consider its versatility when studying culture. It is more important to consider it as an integrated system.

Culturology models (varieties)

It should be noted that the difficulties in determining the subject and object of research in culturology arise from the specifics of culture, which is the link between the 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 different methods. Today, there are many models of cultural studies, but a single science has not yet been created. These models rely on different approaches and methods in the study of culture. They can be reduced to several basic varieties. In each of them, specific questions of culturology are considered. Let us briefly describe each of them.

Culturology philosophical defines the essence of culture, what it differs from nature. Its main task is to explain and comprehend it by analyzing its most essential and common features. The subject of studying this model is the role, functions and structure of culture in the life of society and man. In addition, it determines the trends in the evolution of culture. And, finally, this model reveals the reasons for its heyday and crisis, ups and downs.

What is cultural history? It is not difficult to guess that it gives us knowledge about a particular culture in a certain historical period. However, its subject is somewhat wider. It is a regional, national, world culture or related to a certain epoch. This model ascertains facts, describes its manifestations and events in it, while highlighting the most outstanding achievements of mankind. These are the main tasks of cultural history.

We have not considered all the models (varieties) yet. What does sociology study? She considers sociocultural phenomena and processes taking place in society. This model studies the functioning in the society of culture as a whole. But not only that. The tasks of sociological sociology include the study of individual subcultures.

We now turn to the following model. It is necessary to tell about what the psychoanalytical culture studies. She explores the problems of the individual, who acts as a consumer and creator of the achievements of civilization. Its subject are the individual characteristics of a person's relationship to culture, the peculiarity of his spiritual behavior.

Ethnological (ethnic) culturology 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.

Cultural philology studies the national culture through oral folk art, literature and language.

We have described only its main varieties, or models. To the question: "What is culturology?" we answered. Let us now tell you about the disciplines and sciences with which it interacts.

Interaction with social and humanitarian disciplines

Culture is called "second nature". This expression belongs to Democritus, the ancient Greek philosopher. Culture is not inherited by biological means, but only through upbringing, education, admission to it. Consider how the science of interest interacts with other social and humanitarian disciplines. All of them are divided into the following two groups:

- those sciences, the subject of which is allocated in accordance with the type of specialized activity (for example, pedagogy, religious studies, art studies, political science, economics, etc.);

- the science of 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 is a sphere of interdisciplinary synthesis. She is interested in what general patterns of development can be found in politics, economics, religion and other spheres of activity. Within the framework of interaction with the second group, a specific culturological method is distinguished that can be applied within any sciences of a humanitarian and social profile.

Interaction with history, ethnography, archeology and philosophy

The relationship between this science and history is obvious. No textbook on history is complete without a story about the cultural achievements of time, about the cultural life of people. In addition, the science of interest to us is connected with ethnography, which deals with the study of cultural and everyday features of different nationalities. Archeology on the material remains of human life studies the history of society. But the achievements of culture are spiritual and material values.

Archaeological methods make it possible to study the achievements of various nationalities and historical eras. Philosophy is also related to culturology. It is an instrument of cognition, prediction, interpretation, its theories are used. Culturology, like other sciences, needs a philosophy on which all branches of knowledge are based. It helps to understand the essence of civilization, to assess society, as well as the level of development of culture from a certain angle.

So, we opened the stated subject. In conclusion, we add that today culturology is actively developing. 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 sphere of economics, many graduates of schools consider the direction of "culturology" as one of the priority.