What is the dynamics of culture. Types of Culture Dynamics

1. The concept of cultural dynamics.

3. Types of cultural processes

One of the key topics in the history of culture is the dynamics of culture, ways of its functioning, types of cultural processes, methods of their study and factors of cultural dynamics.

I. The concept of cultural dynamics.

To date, world scientific thought has accumulated a huge amount of ideas, ideas and concepts that make it possible to give a scientific definition to the concept of cultural dynamics.

Dynamics of culture is “change within a culture in interaction different cultures, which are characterized by integrity, the presence of ordered tendencies, as well as a directed nature.”

The concept of cultural dynamics is closely related to the concept of “cultural change”, which is widely studied in cultural theory, but is not identical to it.

Cultural changes presuppose any transformations in culture, including those that lack integrity and a clearly defined direction of movement. The concept of “cultural change” is broader than the concept of cultural dynamics, which is identified with the concept of cultural process. If we consider culture as a system, then the cultural process can be defined as the interaction of elements that occurs over time as one state of the system is replaced by another. This process is vividly described by L. White as a flow of interacting cultural elements - tools, beliefs, customs, etc. In this process of interaction, each element affects the others, and they, in turn, act on it. this process is adversarial: tools, beliefs, customs can become obsolete and be eliminated from the stream. New elements are introduced from time to time. New combinations and syntheses are constantly being formed - discoveries and inventions of cultural elements.

There are different approaches to the study of the cultural process. The cultural process can be viewed as a great and unified process, embracing all cultural traditions in all periods and in all territories. It is possible to isolate individual segments of the cultural process and study it in itself. in this way it is possible to study the cultural process in action in limited areas of space and time. For example, in Western Europe during the Middle Ages or in Russia during turn of the 19th century- XX centuries This will be a spatial and temporal highlighting of cultural dynamics. In addition to spatial and temporal allocation, it is possible to logically decompose the cultural process into a number of subprocesses that form it, such as evolution, invention, diffusion, acculturation, integration, segmentation, etc.

If we look at the cultural process from the point of view of synthesis, then we can say that the cultural process as a whole consists of all these smaller processes, each of which functions according to its own rules and at the same time interacts with them.

2. Levels of cultural process.

Thus, the cultural process can be studied either as a whole or in its various aspects: in different periods of time and in different parts of the world.

But it is possible to explore cultural dynamics at various levels generality, i.e., for example, the same event can be explained at different levels of analysis. Let us consider this situation using the example of the Protestant Reformation. If we consider the Reformation as a cultural process, then three levels of the cultural process can be distinguished. at the first level, the Reformation is seen as a transformation of church organization in Northern Europe. At the second level, the Reformation is perceived not only as religious transformation, but also as an event involving many other aspects of culture, such as the development of industrial production and trade, technical inventions, some social transformations, etc. I.e. the reform is seen as a stage in the liberation of the secular state from the medieval international church state.

At this level, from the point of view of cultural dynamics, what is interesting is the changes in ideas and assessments caused by new economic conditions and the struggle for power between secular and religious institutions.

At the third level of analysis, the Reformation as an event as a whole loses its uniqueness and becomes a member general class. At this level, the Reformation acquires the phenomenon of adaptation of the socio-religious structure to the changed material conditions of life. It is known that the technological and economic aspects of a culture change more easily and quickly than its social and religious aspects.

A cultural researcher has the same right to engage in any level of research.

When studying cultural dynamics, it is necessary to dwell on the problem of repetition in history and in the cultural process.

Most historians believe that history, contrary to the famous saying, never repeats itself. If we accept this concept, then events can be repeated only as examples. Thus Caesar dies only once, but autocratic rulers are killed again and again. Thus the cultural process actually repeats itself.

Repetition in cultural dynamics can be not only an event, but also a series of long-term, complex events. for example, the emergence of ancient civilizations in various areas world is marked by such similar features that this phenomenon can be subsumed under the same series of successive stages.

The most interesting examples The repeatability of the cultural process gives us inventions and discoveries made independently and simultaneously twice or even more times (the invention of writing, the steam engine, radio communications, etc.).

3. Types of cultural processes

As a result of the study of cultural processes, their diverse structure of different scales and levels was revealed. Let us consider only some types of cultural processes.

1. Phase or stage type of cultural dynamics to which historical periodization is applicable (or formational division of history: primitive society, slave society, feudalism, capitalism; or in accordance with the dominant type social relations: pre-industrial and post-industrial).

2. Cultural processes leading to a change in spiritual styles, artistic genres and trends, orientations and fashions. This shift has found a clear division in history Western European culture, expressed in successive styles: Romanesque, Gothic, Renaissance, Baroque, Rococo and neoclassicism, romanticism, realism, modernism (impressionism, post-impressionism, surrealism, avant-garde, etc.), postmodernism.

3. Cultural stagnation as a state of long-term immutability and conservation of norms, values, knowledge, as society’s commitment to unchanging traditions and a sharp limitation or prohibition of innovations. In this state, a society can exist for decades or even centuries without significant additions or decreases in its spiritual and social life.

Cultural stagnation is a characteristic feature of persistently small ethnic cultures. However, stagnation also becomes the lot of highly organized civilizations, for example, in various regions of the East. The long period of existence of the civilization of antiquity should be characterized as cultural stagnation ( Ancient Egypt etc.), civilizations of pre-Columbian America, etc.

4. Cultural process, which is defined as the decline and degradation of culture due to the elimination of some elements of culture or previously stable norms and ideals, and the simplification of cultural life. This type of cultural process can be considered using the example of some small peoples who fell into the orbit of strong cultures (North American Indians, small peoples North, etc.).

Decline also occurs in various fields high culture. This happens when the spiritual significance of certain genres weakens, and other options for artistic understanding of the world gain recognition in society. for example, after the rise of the high Renaissance of the XIV-XV centuries. in Italy, France or England, decadent schools of “mannerism” appeared, trying to imitate classical models. Decline marked Russian icon painting in the period of the 18th - 19th centuries, which reproduced only weak similarities to the highest examples of icon painting of previous centuries.

5. A cultural crisis is defined as a situation or tendency of a gap between the weakening and destruction of previous spiritual structures and institutions and the formation of new ones that are more responsive to the changing requirements of society.

IN historically social and spiritual crisis in ancient societies preceded the emergence of new spiritual systems that served as the basis for the formation of world civilizations.

In modern times, a crisis usually arises during the accelerated modernization of society. depending on the degree of stability of the spiritual structure, a crisis can lead to transformation or disruption in social life.

6. Cyclical change can also be seen as a type of cultural process. Under their influence, society moves through similar cycles of existence, repeating itself over many generations. These cycles receive a stable form in mythology, rituals, and the calendar.

As a cyclical option, one should consider inversion. In inversion, changes do not go in a circle, but perform pendulum swings - from one pole cultural meanings to another. Changes of this kind occur when a culture has not developed a stable core, a “golden mean” or other structure. Therefore, the weakening of strict normativity can lead to laxity of morals, wordless obedience towards existing orders may be replaced by “senseless and merciless rebellion,” etc.

So, for example, in mythological consciousness, inversion manifests itself as a rivalry between two differently directed principles (day - night, life - death, etc.), and their alternate inversion means only a temporary change of states. in Chinese cultural heritage Much attention was given to the relationship between two opposite life principles - yin and yang; various options for changing this duality determine, as it is assumed, all life situations.

A far-reaching inversion leads to the destruction of previously accumulated cultural heritage, which sooner or later leads to the revival of the past, the restoration of the necessary components of spiritual culture, without which the life of society is incomplete. So Western European Renaissance led to the restoration of achievements ancient culture, those valuables that were confiscated by the church over many centuries. However, the Renaissance was followed by the Reformation and Counter-Reformation, which partially restored the religious heritage.

7. Transformation, or transformation, of culture takes place if a new state of culture arises under the influence of intensive renewal processes occurring in a given society. New elements are introduced through reinvention historical heritage or giving new meaning to familiar traditions, as well as through borrowing from outside. however, the borrowed elements undergo a qualitative change. Such a process occurred, for example, in Russian culture with the adoption of Christianity, accompanied by an intensive renewal of culture, but with the preservation of continuity with the previous heritage of the pagan culture of the Eastern Slavs.

In cultural studies, it is customary to identify several sources that form and support cultural dynamics. These are evolution, invention, innovation, diffusion, acculturation, integration, segmentation, etc. Let's look at some of them.

1. For example, such a component of cultural dynamics as diffusion, i.e. spread of culture through interpenetration. Studying material culture, rituals, art and mythology made it possible to convincingly reveal the role of diffusion in the formation of any local cultural type. So F. Boas notes that traces of diffusion are revealed by the method of comparative study and extensive field material indicates it. There are cases when an individual acts as a bearer of important mythological plots. For example, they remembered that the story of the birth of Raven, recorded in one tribe in the north of Vancouver Island, was brought by a man who spent many years in slavery in Alaska, from where his friends ransomed him. The bearers of new myths and ideas could be women captured during military raids, strangers adopted into the tribe, etc. (3, p.344).

F. Boas draws the following conclusions:

1) two fundamentally different cultural forms, observed in different parts of the periphery, come into contact;

2) none of them arises from the other;

3) the mixing of two forms gives rise to new forms in intermediate areas.

So, the penetration of new ideas is not an automatic application to a certain type of culture, but a powerful factor in the dynamics of culture.

2. Or consider such a factor of cultural dynamics as acculturation. Acculturation is a process of changing material culture, customs and beliefs that occurs through direct contact and mutual influence of different sociocultural systems. Acculturation is also cultural change as a result of the transfer of culture from one group to another through contact.

The concept of acculturation is closely related to the concept diffusion. Thus, M. Herskovich considers diffusion as an accomplished transfer of culture, and acculturation as “the process of transfer of culture” (3, p. 349).

Acculturation must be viewed as a two-way process, affecting both groups in contact. Acculturation (acculluration - English neologism from Latin ad - to and cultura - cultivation), designation of both the process and the result of the mutual influence of different cultures, in which all or part of the representatives of one culture (recipients) adopt the norms, values and traditions of another (from the culture -donor). In particular, national minorities (recipients) can completely reject the values of the dominant culture (donor), fully accept them, or approach them selectively (selectively).

An example of acculturation can be changes in traditional cultures under the influence of Western civilization and the reverse process (for example, the influence of African musical forms to modern Western music).

Acculturation can be direct (through the influence of the intelligentsia or immigrants on the social environment that accepted them) or indirect (through the influence of means mass communication, consumer goods, higher education institutions, research centers, etc.).

Thus, acculturation is considered as a process of interaction between cultures, during which they change, assimilate new elements, and form a fundamentally new cultural synthesis as a result of mixing different cultural traditions.

Assimilation(from Latin assimilatio - assimilation, fusion, assimilation), in anthropology - the merging of one people with another with the loss of one of them of its language, culture (it is absorbed and ceases to exist), national identity. A. is also called ethnic absorption. There are natural A., which arises during contact between ethnically heterogeneous groups of the population, mixed marriages etc., and forced assimilation, characteristic of countries where nationalities are unequal. The concept of A. began to be used in con. XIX century, ch. arr. in America social science(originally synonymous with "Americanization").

3. Synthesis is also one of the factors of cultural dynamics. Synthesis is the interaction and combination of heterogeneous elements, in which a cultural phenomenon, movement, style arises that differs from both components and has its own qualitative content or form.

European culture was formed over the centuries as a partial synthesis of the Judeo-Christian and ancient traditions. In the XII-IX centuries. Islamic civilization is emerging on the basis of the synthesis of its own religious heritage and the development of some spiritual achievements of ancient civilization and political culture Persian civilization. Based on the long-term interaction of the heritage of Indian peoples and Spanish-Portuguese culture, the civilization of Latin America is emerging.

In modern conditions, synthesis is becoming an important source of transformation of the sociocultural system of many developing countries. Japan can be cited as an example of a fruitful combination of its own national and modernizing components. South Korea, Taiwan, Hong Kong, Singapore, etc.

4. Innovation as the invention or development of new ideas, models aimed at cultural change. The bearers of innovation can be creative individuals (prophets, rulers, sages, cultural figures, scientists, etc.) or innovative groups that put forward new ideas and norms that differ from generally accepted ideas and norms. As a rule, the source of innovation is usually not the “simple average person” and not the average social group, but an individual or group, one way or another “getting out” of a given society, turning out to be “avant-garde”, “dissidents” or “marginals” in it.

At a more widespread level, the carriers of innovation are often people from other countries or from a different sociocultural environment. These may also be sectarian groups (this role was played by Protestants at the early bourgeois stage European history, Europeans in colonial countries, etc.). Thus, people from the Caucasian peoples in the Central Russian zone proved to be more successful in trade and the service sector than the indigenous population.

But there is a significant problem of connecting innovations with the sociocultural environment. Any innovation is doomed to oblivion and rejection if it does not meet with understanding from society or there is no social demand.

Case in point In this sense, the history of book printing in Western Europe and Russia provides information. I. Guttenberg began printing books in the 15th century. the cultural environment was so ready to perceive this fact that already in early XVI century, almost 1,100 printing houses were founded in 26 European cities.

In Russia, the first book was published by Iv. Fedorov with a slight delay (1564), this fact did not lead to a breakthrough in the country, and widespread book printing was postponed for a century and a half, and he himself was persecuted.

There are many examples when discoveries and inventions were rejected and consigned to oblivion if they did not correspond to the sociocultural environment. Thus, the steam engine was first built by the Russian inventor Ivan. Polzunov in 1766 After working for several months, the machine was stopped due to the death of its creator. While J. Watt's steam engine was built in England in 1776. and after a few years, several dozen of them were already released, and the creator J. Watt himself died in glory and honor.

Function of socialization and enculturation

The most important function of culture is the function of socialization and enculturation. Socialization is the process of assimilation by a human individual of certain knowledge, norms and values necessary for life as a full member of society. At the same time, this process ensures the preservation of society and established forms of life. In society, as in nature, there is a constant change of generations, people are born and die. But unlike animals, humans do not have innate action programs. He receives these programs from culture, learns to live, think and act in accordance with them.

The acquisition of social experience by an individual begins in early childhood. The patterns of behavior that parents demonstrate are consciously or unconsciously adopted by children, thereby determining their behavior for many years to come. Children are also greatly influenced by the examples of behavior they observe from peers, teachers and other adults. Childhood is the most important period socialization, during which approximately 70% of the human personality is formed. But socialization does not end in childhood. This is a continuous process that continues throughout life. This is how the social experience accumulated by the people is absorbed, preserved and passed on from generation to generation. cultural tradition, which ensures the stability of the culture.

At the same time, each person, by force of circumstances, finds himself immersed in a certain cultural environment, from which he absorbs and assimilates a system of knowledge, values, and norms of behavior. This process of acquiring the skills and knowledge necessary to live in a particular culture is called enculturation.

The processes of socialization and enculturation consist not only in the formation of the environment surrounding a person, they presuppose the active internal work of the person himself, striving to master the information necessary for life. Therefore, having mastered the complex of knowledge required for a given culture, a person begins to develop his individual abilities associated with his natural inclinations. This may be the development of musical or artistic abilities, mathematical or technical knowledge, what may be useful in mastering future profession or will become a person's occupation during leisure hours.

The classification we have given of the main functions of culture is one of the possible ones. It is possible to classify them on other grounds, but in any classification the delimitation of the functions of culture will be quite conditional. Indeed, in real life such a division is simply impossible. All functions are closely intertwined and practically represent a single process, generally ensuring the processes of cultural dynamics.

Literature

1. Gurevich P.S. Philosophy of culture. M., 1995.

2. Ionin L.G. Sociology of culture. M., 2004.

3. Karmin A. S. Culturology. St. Petersburg, 2003.

4. Culture and cultural studies. Dictionary. M., 2003.

5. Culture: theories and problems / T.F. Kuznetsova et al. M., 1995.

6. Cultural studies. XX century Encyclopedia in 2 volumes, St. Petersburg, 1998.

7. Oganov A.A., Khangeldieva I.G. Theory of culture. M., 2001.

8. Rozhdestvensky Yu.V. Introduction to cultural studies. M., 2000.

9. Flier A.Ya. Culturology for culturologists. M., 2002.

Dynamics of culture

7.1. Models (forms) of cultural dynamics

7.2. Types of Culture Dynamics

7.3. Sources (mechanisms) of cultural dynamics

7.4. Factors of cultural dynamics

7.5. Modernization of traditional cultures

7.6. Globalization of culture modern world

First scientific ideas about cultural dynamics appeared in the 19th century. within the framework of evolutionism, the leading direction in science of that time. True, the term “dynamics” itself has not yet been used. Scientists talked about evolution, the gradual natural development of society and culture, and painted a general correct picture of history human society from the primitive state to the modern civilized level. Unfortunately, researchers of the 19th century. Absolutized development processes, believing that all cultural changes should represent a movement from simple to complex. In other words, they spoke about the programmed progressive complication of culture.

Since the 20th century, there has been an expansion of ideas about the nature and direction of changes in culture. Now change is understood not only as development, but also as any transformation within culture. These include crises, a return to the old, complete disappearance, etc. They are also beginning to talk about constant shifts and transformations of cultural forms, which can be ordered and disordered, intense and weak, stable and unstable, leading to development or crisis.

P. Sorokin’s book “Social and Cultural Dynamics” (1937–1941) became a milestone for the study of the issue of cultural changes. It was there that the term was first introduced into scientific circulation "dynamics of culture". Today, the dynamics of culture mean not only development, but also any change in culture, a stable order of interaction of its constituent components, one or another of its periodicity, stages, direction towards some state.

Gradually, in the course of long-term research, a range of issues was determined that were considered in connection with the dynamics of culture - types and forms (models) of cultural changes, determinants and mechanisms of cultural dynamics. As a result of these studies, scientists have proposed several models of the dynamics of culture, considering it as a holistic entity, seeking not to study the processes of qualitative changes within culture, but only to describe general form these changes.

7.1. Models (forms) of cultural dynamics

Ideas about the dynamics of culture, its cycles, change and development are based on the observation and study of political and economic cycles (stages) of development, rhythms in the dynamics of art, science, Everyday life. Also important here are life cycles individual, which are the most important and reference for assessing the dynamics of the cultural process. As a result of these observations, researchers came to the conclusion that in history and culture, change has a fixed sequence of stages or states. Continuity and periodicity of changes in culture can exist in at least two forms. First of all, in shape evolutionary process , the essence of which is a consistent irreversible increase in the level of complexity and organization of cultural systems. Secondly, in the form time circle(cycle), which is a repeating sequence of certain phases or states. In addition to the two “pure” forms of cultural dynamics, the real course of world history and culture shows us several more models of cultural dynamics, which are variants of the cyclical and evolutionary (linear) models, or models that synthesize the features of the two main forms.

Cyclic model

Historically, the first ideas about the dynamics of culture in the form of a time circle (cycle) arose in the Ancient world, within the framework of mythological pictures of the world in China, India and Ancient Greece. They were based on the idea of the eternal cycle of events and the eternal return to their origins, as well as on the periodic repetition of phenomena in nature and culture.

The first systematic presentation of this model of cultural dynamics belongs to Hesiod and other ancient thinkers. According to Hesiod's views, the entire history of mankind is divided into four eras - the golden, silver, copper and iron ages - and represents a movement in time, which is understood as eternity. Each era is characterized by its own state of culture. The meaning of history is constant repetition, the reproduction of general laws that do not depend on the characteristics of a particular society. The further a person moves in his development from the golden age of society, the greater the deviation from the original ideal model-archetype. Since man was essentially considered unchangeable, it was these deviations that defined culture at each of the four stages. Culture was then understood as a set of moral norms, the nature of power, the connection of generations, and a way of assimilating cultural values. In the golden age, man became like the gods, love and equality reigned in the world, there was a close connection between generations, there was no need to work, since man received everything necessary for life directly from nature, including the knowledge that he possessed from birth. TO iron age man came with complete oblivion of moral regulators, a war of all against all, loss of connection between generations, loss of harmony with nature.

1. The concept of cultural dynamics and its model.

2. Mechanisms, types, factors of cultural dynamics.

3. Progress and its criteria in culture.

1. The path traveled by humanity from the stone ax to the modern computer, from the primitive human herd to the rule of law, allows us to make an unambiguous conclusion that culture is mobile and changeable. However, it is equally obvious that changes in the cultures of different peoples occur with varying intensity and give different results. Thus, next to the rapidly developing European civilization and culture, the cultures of the peoples of Asia, Africa and Australia have coexisted for centuries and even millennia, almost unchanged.

Almost all cultural theories and schools give their explanations for the process of change in culture:

The very first attempt was made in myths. Since the myth is based on the idea of the unity of man and nature, all processes and phenomena in the world are explained through human feelings, perceptions and behavior.

The search for rational causes of cultural change was undertaken in philosophy. As a rule, these reasons were found in the internal patterns of development of the world and society itself, as well as in the activities of people who use these patterns for their own purposes. On the basis of philosophical quests, a scientific approach to the study of cultural changes gradually emerged.

Unlike philosophy, which proposed speculative constructions of the historical process, science sought to rely on firmly established facts and precise (quantitative) research methods. Therefore, scientists have repeatedly tried to measure real, specific trends in cultural change, to find out how they are influenced by state cultural policy or the activities of individual people. This approach is typical for sociology of culture.

- modern cultural studies focuses on both scientific and philosophical methods of research.

Continue to exist and retain their heuristic (from Greek - I search, discover) abilities theological concepts of cultural dynamics.

The first scientific ideas about cultural dynamics appeared in the 19th century. within the framework of evolutionism, the leading direction in science of that time. True, the term “dynamics” itself has not yet been used. Explorers of the 19th century absolutized development processes, believing that all cultural changes should represent a movement from simple to complex, i.e. they spoke of a programmed progressive complication of culture.

Since the 20th century. there is an expansion of ideas about the nature and direction of changes in culture. Now change is understood not only as development, but also as any transformation within culture. These include crises, a return to the old, complete disappearance, etc. They are also beginning to talk about constant shifts and transformations of cultural forms, which can be ordered and disordered, intense and weak, stable and unstable, leading to development or crisis.

P. Sorokin’s book “Social and Cultural Dynamics” (1937–1941) became a milestone for the analysis of cultural changes. It was there that the term “dynamics of culture” was first introduced into scientific circulation. The dynamics of culture mean not only development, but also any change in culture, a stable order of interaction of its components, one or another of its periodicity, stages, direction towards some state. Development and change thus become one of the forms of cultural dynamics.

Models of cultural dynamics.

Ideas about the dynamics of culture, its cycles, change and development are based on observation and study of political and economic cycles (stages) of development, rhythms in the dynamics of art, science, and everyday life. The life cycles of an individual are also of considerable importance, which are considered to be the most important and reference for assessing the dynamics of the cultural process.

As a result of these observations, researchers came to the conclusion that in history and culture, change has a fixed sequence of stages or states. Continuity and frequency of change in culture can exist in at least two forms:

Firstly, in the form of an evolutionary process, the essence of which is a consistent irreversible increase in the level of complexity and organization of cultural systems.

Secondly, in the form of a time circle (cycle), which is a repeating sequence of certain phases or states.

In addition to the two “pure” forms of cultural dynamics, the real course of world history and culture shows us several more models of cultural dynamics, which are variants of the cyclical and evolutionary (linear) models, or a model that synthesizes the features of the two main forms.

Cyclic model

Historically, the first ideas about the dynamics of culture in the form of a time circle (cycle) arose in the Ancient world, within the framework of mythological models of the world in China, India and Ancient Greece. They are based on the idea of the eternal cycle of events and the eternal return to their origins, as well as on the periodic repetition of phenomena in nature and culture.

The first systematic presentation of this model of cultural dynamics belongs to Hesiod and other ancient thinkers. According to his views, the entire history of mankind is divided into four eras - the golden, silver, copper and iron ages - and represents a movement in time, which is understood as eternity. Each era is characterized by its own state of culture. The meaning of history is constant repetition, the reproduction of general laws that do not depend on the characteristics of a particular society. The further a society moves in its development from the golden age, the greater the deviation from the original ideal archetype model. Since man was essentially considered unchangeable, it was these deviations that defined culture at each of the four stages. Culture was then understood as a set of moral norms, the nature of power, the connection of generations, and a way of assimilating cultural values. In the golden age, man became like the gods, love and equality reigned in the world, there was a close connection between generations, there was no need to work, since man received everything necessary for life directly from nature, including the knowledge that he possessed innately. Humanity came to the Iron Age with complete oblivion of moral regulators, war of all against all, loss of communication between generations, loss of harmony with nature. The final moment of development was a cultural crisis, usually associated with the rebellion of nature against man. The crisis could not be considered a completely negative phenomenon, since it did not lead to the final collapse of culture, it returned it to the starting point from which a new development cycle began. At one point the past and the future coincided, they became invariants of each other. Such cycles were repeated endlessly, this is the meaning of the eternal return and idealization of the past.

Inversion

Option cyclical model The dynamics of culture is an inversion, in which changes do not go in a circle, but perform pendulum swings from one pole of cultural meanings to another. Changes of this kind occur when a culture has not developed a strong core or structure. Therefore, than less degree stability of a society and the weaker the relationships between its components are, the greater the scope of the turns in its spiritual or political life: from strict normativity to laxity of morals, from wordless obedience to merciless rebellion.

Elements of inconsistency are present at different levels of cultural development. For mythological consciousness, this inconsistency is conceptualized as a rivalry between two differently directed principles (day - night, life - death, good - evil, etc.), and their alternate inversion means only a temporary change of states. In the Chinese cultural heritage, a greater place is given to the relationship between two opposite life principles - yin and yang; the change in their combinations determines all life situations.

An inversion wave can cover a variety of periods - from several years to several centuries. Changes in culture at different times and in different societies had an inversion character. At a certain stage, the transition from paganism to monotheism, accompanied by the eradication of previous cults, took on this character. The 20th century demonstrated a rollback from religion to atheism, which led to the destruction of former shrines, sweeping criticism of the regime and reprisals against priests, to an ever-increasing interest in religion both from the people and from the state. Many countries have demonstrated a transition from a policy of cultural isolation to intensive contact with other cultures.

Concepts of local civilizations

The concepts of local civilizations discussed above by N.Ya. Danilevsky, O. Spengler, A. Toynbee are also variants of the cyclic model of cultural dynamics. Denying the concept of world history as a single historical process, they put forward the idea of development individual peoples and cultures, occurring according to cyclical laws, invariant for all cultures. The development of individual civilizations, or cultural-historical types, can occur either sequentially or in parallel. The form of development is the same for everyone, but the content is unique for each culture. The development of local civilizations goes through the stages of emergence, development, prosperity and decline - a return to their original state.

The dynamics of the development of an individual local civilization can be compared to a perennial, once-blooming plant that grows and gains strength for many years in order to bloom magnificently once, devote all its strength to it, and then die.

Local civilizations are closely connected with the soil, with the natural landscape on which they grow. It predetermines the character and specificity of local civilizations, shapes their soul, which they are endowed with by God or the world mind, which is embodied in these civilizations. The essence of this embodiment is fixed in the main idea developed by this civilization. Full self-expression of the world mind is possible only through the totality of local civilizations and cultures, through the sum of ideas developed by them. This is the reason for the diversity of cultures on our planet, existing in the past and presently.

Linear model of cultural dynamics

The emergence of a linear (evolutionary) model of cultural dynamics is associated with the emergence of Christianity, and then with the understanding of its ideas within the framework of theology. It is based on one of the fundamental paradigms of Christianity - the arrow of time, opening eternity, breaking the circle of eternal return of cyclism, introducing the concepts of the beginning and end of history, which continues from the creation of the world to the Last Judgment and the end of the world. Within the framework of this model, the problems of progress in history and culture, meaning and purpose were posed for the first time cultural development, measures of cultural perfection.

This model actively developed within the framework of the French and German Enlightenment (A. Condorcet, I. Herder), German classical philosophy (I. Kant, G. Hegel), in Marxism, in the evolutionism of social and cultural anthropology (E. Tylor, J. Fraser , L. Morgan), as well as in the neo-evolutionist direction of cultural studies (L. White, K. Kluckhohn). The linear model can take on a variety of forms, depending on what is recognized as the source and goal of the development of society and culture. Thus, in Kant it is the development of man himself, in Hegel it is the self-development of the absolute spirit, in Marxism it is the development of material production. But from all representatives of this trend, several fundamental ideas can be identified. The main one is the idea of unity human race, recognition of the single essence of man, which should inevitably lead to uniformity in the development of culture in any part of the world.

Reversible model.

It is a variant of the linear (evolutionary) model of cultural dynamics and represents an arrow of time facing the past. If classical evolutionary models are based on the recognition that the future is better than the past, reverse models claim the opposite - the golden age was in the past, all further development of culture only leads to a worsening of the situation of man and society. Thus, there is only involution, degradation of culture. A person striving for a golden age must turn back the course of history, return to the ideal original state of culture.

In fact, the reverse model of cultural dynamics is not a pure version of the linear model, since in addition to the idea of evolution, it uses some value determinants of cyclism (the idea of a return to the golden age, which is in the past of humanity).

An example of a reverse model of cultural dynamics is the concept of J.-J. Rousseau, for whom the development of culture and the growth of a person’s material well-being do not bring happiness, but the alienation of a person from the products of his labor, from society, from other people. For him, the development of culture is a negative factor that separates people. The transition from barbarism to civilization, which took place in ancient times, was not the beginning of the progressive development of mankind. Human happiness lies in unity with nature. You can return to it only by abandoning modern civilization and its values.

Deviant model of cultural dynamics.

It is formed within the framework of neo-evolutionism, based on a linear model of cultural dynamics. Among its authors are L. White, A. Kroeber, D. Steward and others. Graphically, it can be presented in the form of a highly branching tree, where the trunk is the general line of development of society and culture, and the branches are deviations from it, allowing one to explain the specifics of individual cultures , who have deviated in their development from the main direction prescribed by open laws.

The deviant model of cultural dynamics was clearly formulated in the works of L. White, who examined in detail the issue of unilinearity and multilinearity of the evolutionary process. White concluded that the evolutionary interpretation of human culture as a whole must be unilinear. But human culture, as a collection of many cultures, must be interpreted multilinearly. The evolution of writing, metallurgy, social organization, architecture, trade, etc. can be considered from both a single-line and a multi-line point of view. At the same time, the unilinearity of the cultural process does not raise doubts when comparing similar cultural phenomena of the Western and Eastern hemispheres, which until the end of the 15th century. developed independently of each other.

Wave model of cultural dynamics.

It is a combination of a cyclic and linear model of cultural dynamics, connecting reversible and irreversible processes. D. Vico and P. Sorokin (1889-1968) spoke about wave changes in culture, but this model was most fully revealed in the works of the outstanding economist N.D. Kondratiev (1892-1938). He suggested that the economy and other closely related cultural spheres develop based on a combination of small cycles (3.5 years) with medium-term (7-11 years) and large (50 years) cycles. The recovery phase is associated with the introduction of new means of labor, an increase in the number of workers, which is accompanied by an optimistic mood in society and a balanced development of culture. The recession causes an increase in unemployment, the depressed state of many industries and, as a consequence, pessimistic moods in society, and the decline of culture.

Kondratiev’s main ideas were statistically tested and developed by the American economist J. Schumpeter, who considered innovation, both technical and socio-cultural, to be the main factor in the cyclical dynamics.

E. Toffler also speaks about the wave nature of human history in his work “The Third Wave”. He distinguishes three stages: agricultural, industrial and informational, replacing each other thanks to technical progress. Toffler also notes the acceleration of progress: if the first stage lasted thousands of years, then the second took only 300 years to outlive itself. Therefore, the third wave is unlikely to last more than a few decades.

The idea of cyclicity received an interesting development in the works of Yu.M. Lotman. In his book “Culture and Explosion,” the main form of cultural dynamics is called inversion, a transition from one pole of cultural meanings to another, which occurs both continuously, in gradual, well-predictable processes, and in the form of an explosion, the unpredictable emergence of something new in science and art.

A prominent representative of the ideas of cyclicity in modern Russian cultural studies is Yu.V. Yakovets. He understands the historical cycle as the time from a revolutionary coup, marking the birth of a new historical system, to the next coup, establishing new system. Moreover, the course of history is a spiral. The pendulum never ends up at the same point twice, but oscillates in similar phases.

Newest models of cultural dynamics.

One of the latest discoveries of cultural studies is synergistic a model of cultural dynamics, created as a result of applying models of the new science of synergetics, which studies the self-organization of simple systems, to the study of cultural phenomena.

Self-organization is a process that transfers an open nonequilibrium system, which is in an unstable state, into a new, more stable state, characterized by more high degree complexity and orderliness. The study of these processes began in the 1970s within the framework of new sciences - synergetics, the creators of which were the German radiophysicist G. Haken and the Belgian chemist of Russian origin I. Prigozhim. They managed to show and reflect in mathematical models how order can emerge from chaos. At the same time, out of several similar systems participating in this process and located in a changing environment, only a few are preserved. They will become more complex and orderly than previous systems, and the remaining systems will die in a kind of natural selection, as a result of which only the systems most adapted to the new conditions will survive.

From the point of view of synergetics, any open nonequilibrium system in its development goes through two stages.

First stage- this is a smooth evolutionary development of the system, with well-predictable results, and most importantly, with the ability to return to its previous state when the external influence ceases.

Second phase in the development of systems – a leap that instantly transfers the system to a qualitatively new state. A leap is a highly nonlinear process, so it is impossible to predict its results in advance. When a jump occurs, the system is at a bifurcation (branch) point; it has several possible options further evolution, but it is impossible to predict in advance which of them will be chosen. The choice occurs randomly, directly at the moment of the leap, determined by the unique combination of circumstances that develop at a given moment in time and in a given place. But the most important thing is that after passing through the bifurcation point, the system can no longer return to its previous state, and all its further development is carried out taking into account the previous choice.

As it turns out, the synergetic paradigm can be used very effectively to study cultural dynamics. The synergetic model allows us to see in the dynamics of culture not a linear process of development, but many paths of evolutionary or intensely rapid (up to catastrophic), sustainable or unstable development. In general, the process of cultural dynamics can be interpreted as a manifestation of the possibility of complex social systems adapt to changing external and internal conditions of their existence.

Another modern model of cultural dynamics is postmodern its interpretation. Postmodernism is not a school or scientific direction, but a general mindset of the second half of the 20th century, based on the ideas of pluralism. He does not reject any of the known forms of cultural dynamics, believing that they are all eclectically combined with each other, creating a huge variety of options. At the same time, apologists of postmodernism refuse to recognize cultural changes as a directed, orderly process, constantly emphasizing their uncertain, transitional nature. Therefore, for postmodernism, the dynamics of culture is neither growth, nor development, nor a purposeful movement towards some state, but is a disorderly spread, devoid of any direction, irregularly moving to the side, up, back. The space surrounding modern man and he himself are not reducible to any unifying principle, they are completely decentralized.

We have listed the models of cultural dynamics existing in modern cultural studies. Today there is no longer a question about which of the above models is true. It is quite obvious that choosing any of them as the only possible one would be wrong. Such a complex object of study as culture is, in principle, impossible to reduce to a single factor, cause or model. In the real dynamics of culture, we can observe all of the listed forms, describing both certain stages in the dynamics of specific societies and cultures, and changes individual elements within these cultures.

The macrodynamics of culture, which we discussed above, quite clearly correlates with graphic images of this dynamics. But qualitative changes in both culture as a whole and its individual constituent elements are very difficult to represent in graphic models. This question will be more clear if we analyze the internal processes of cultural dynamics and its constituent elements, which are called types of cultural dynamics.

Models (forms) of cultural dynamics

Observing the political and economic processes of development, the dynamics of science, art, and changes in people’s everyday lives, researchers came to the conclusion that in history and culture, changes have a fixed sequence of stages or states. Based on this, the main models (forms) of cultural dynamics were identified.

First of all, the course of world history and culture demonstrates the existence of two main forms of cultural dynamics. This evolutionary process And cycle (time circle) . Under evolutionary process is understood as a consistent irreversible increase in the level of complexity and organization of cultural systems. A cycle - it is a repeating sequence of specific phases or states. But in addition to these “pure” forms of cultural dynamics, there are several models that are variants of the cyclic and evolutionary (or linear) models, or models that synthesize the features of the two main forms.

To date, a huge volume of ideas, ideas and concepts has been accumulated in world scientific thought, allowing us to give a scientific and philosophical interpretation of the dynamics of culture.

Cyclic model

This model was historically the first and originated in the Ancient world. In mythology Ancient China, Ancient India there were ideas of the eternal cycle of events and the eternal return to one’s origins, as well as the periodic repetition of phenomena in nature and human life. In Ancient Greece, in the works Hesiod and other ancient thinkers ( Pythagoras, Heraclitus, Empedocles) we already encounter the first systematic presentation of this model of cultural dynamics.

For Hesiod, history is a movement in time, which is understood as eternity. He divided the entire history of mankind into four eras - the Golden, Silver, Copper and Iron Ages. In the golden age, man became like the gods, love and equality reigned in the world, there was a close connection between generations, there was no need to work, because... nature was generous and gave man everything necessary for life, including the knowledge that he possessed from birth. The further a person moved in his development from the golden age, the greater the deviation from the original ideal model-standard, and the more difficult his life became. Each era was characterized by its own state of culture, which was determined by these deviations. Man came to the Iron Age with complete oblivion of moral norms and laws, with the loss of connections between generations, with the loss of harmony with nature. A war of all against all began. As a result, everything ended in a cultural crisis, which was usually associated with the fact that nature itself rebelled against man. But this crisis did not mean a complete collapse, was not a completely negative phenomenon, since it did not lead to the final disappearance of culture. She was returning to the starting point from which a new cycle of development began. Such cycles were repeated endlessly, this is the meaning of the eternal return and idealization of the past.

In subsequent centuries, the idea of cyclical development was supported by many thinkers. In the XIX - XX centuries. Variants of the cyclic model of cultural dynamics are found in the concepts of local civilizations N.Ya. Danilevsky, O. Spengler, A. Toynbee. These authors, denying the concept of world history as a single historical process, put forward the idea of the development of individual peoples and cultures, which occurs according to cyclical laws. The development of individual civilizations or cultural-historical types can occur either sequentially or in parallel. The form of development is the same for everyone, but the content is unique for each culture. The development of local civilizations goes through the stages of emergence, development, prosperity and decline - a return to their original state.

Another version of the cyclic model of cultural dynamics is the model inversions, in which changes do not go in a circle, but perform pendulum swings from one pole of cultural values to another. Changes of this kind occur when a culture has not developed a strong core or structure. An inversion wave can cover a variety of periods - from several years to several centuries. Changes in culture at different times and in different societies had an inversion character. Examples of inversion can be the Renaissance, which led to the restoration of ancient pagan culture, the cultivation of those values that were denied by the Christian church for many centuries. But after it came the era of the Reformation and the Counter-Reformation, which partially restored the shaky position of religion. In the 20th century, an example is the transition from religion to atheism that occurred in our country after the 1917 revolution, which led to the destruction of former shrines, criticism of religion and reprisals against clergy. But at the end of the century the pendulum swung to reverse side, and we are seeing an increasing interest in religion.

Linear model

The emergence of this model of cultural dynamics is associated with the emergence of Christianity. It is based on one of the fundamental ideas of this religion - arrow of time , which broke the circle of eternal return to the original beginning and introduced the concept of the beginning and end of history. According to Christianity, history begins from the creation of the world and continues until the Last Judgment and the end of the world. Within the framework of this model, the problems of progress in history and culture, the meaning and purpose of cultural development, and measures of cultural perfection were posed for the first time.

This model actively developed within the framework of the French and German Enlightenment ( A. Condorcet, I. Herder), German classical philosophy ( I. Kant, G. Hegel), in Marxism, in the evolutionism of social and cultural anthropology ( E. Taylor, D. Fraser, L. Morgan), as well as in the neo-evolutionist direction of cultural studies ( L. White, K. Kluckhohn).

The linear model can take on a variety of forms, depending on what is recognized as the source and goal of the development of society and culture. But the following is common to almost all variants of the linear model of cultural dynamics. The human race is one, just as the very essence of man is one. This should lead to uniformity in the development of culture in every part of the world. Culture was understood as a single world culture, representing a continuous series of successive stages, each of which is more perfect than the previous one. The same stage of cultural development should give the same manifestations in all peoples at this stage.

The main types of linear model: progressive model, regressive(reverse) model and deviant model of cultural dynamics.

1) Progressive model. An important element of the evolutionary model is idea of progress- quantitative and qualitative improvement of human life and society. Those. culture - develops from the lowest, simplest state to more complex and perfect ones (evolutionism, E.B.Tylor).
2) Regressive (reverse) model in contrast to classical evolutionary models, based on the recognition that the future is better than the past, states the opposite. The “Golden Age” was in the past, all further development of culture only leads to degradation and decline of spiritual development, and, consequently, culture (the arrow of time facing the past). It's happening involution, degradation. A supporter of this model was J. J. Rousseau, for whom the development of culture and the growth of a person’s material well-being do not bring happiness, but the alienation of a person from the products of his labor, from society, from other people. The development of culture separates people. Human happiness lies in unity with nature. You can return to it only by abandoning modern civilization and its values.
3) Deviant(i.e. deviating) model arose from the linear model. It became a response to the difficulties experienced by classical evolutionism, which failed to explain the fact of the qualitative diversity of cultures. One of its authors - L.A.White. The essence of this model is that there is a general line of development of society and culture, and branches are deviations from it, which make it possible to explain the specifics of individual cultures that have deviated from the main direction (multilinearity of evolution). Graphically, it can be represented as a highly branching tree.

Wave model

This model is a combination of cyclic and linear models of cultural dynamics, connecting reversible and irreversible processes. They also talked about wave changes in culture D. Vico,P. Sorokin, but this model was most fully presented in the works of the outstanding Russian economist N.D. Kondratieva(1898-1938). He suggested that the economy and other cultural spheres closely related to it develop on the basis of a combination of small cycles (3-5 years) with medium-term (7-11 years) and large (50 years) cycles. In this kind of cycles, the recovery phase is associated with the introduction of new means of labor, an increase in the number of workers, which is accompanied by an optimistic mood in society and a balanced development of culture. The recession causes an increase in unemployment, the depressed state of many industries and, as a consequence, pessimistic moods in society, and the decline of culture.

A prominent representative of the ideas of wave cyclicity in modern Russian cultural studies is Yu.V. Yakovets. His concept considers not only the development model of civilizations (microdynamics of culture), but also of all humanity as a whole (macrodynamics of culture). In his opinion, the development of society and culture proceeds through a combination of irreversible evolution, a progressive transition from stage to stage, with reversibility in a wave-spiral form of movement, periodic alternation of phases of rise, stable development, crisis, depression, revival and a new rise of culture, more or less less significant periods of its ups and downs. This rhythm is specific to each element of culture, each country, but together it forms the general symphony of the evolution of humanity, its movement from turn to turn of the historical spiral.

Synergetic model

This model is one of the most modern models of cultural dynamics, and owes its emergence to the new science of synergetics. Synergetics is a science that studies the self-organization of simple systems (biological, physicochemical, etc.). Self-organization the process that translates is called open Open systems are those that exchange matter, energy or information with the environment. nonequilibrium Systems that are in an extremely unstable state are nonequilibrium. a system in an unstable state into a new, more stable state, characterized by a higher degree of complexity and order.

Synergetics arose in the 1970s within the framework of physics, thanks to the work of a German radio physicist G. Haken and Belgian physicist of Russian origin I. Prigozhina. They managed to show and reflect in mathematical models how order can emerge from chaos. At the same time, out of several similar systems participating in this process and located in a changing environment, only a few are preserved. They will become more complex and orderly than previous systems, and the remaining systems will perish in a kind of natural selection, as a result of which only the systems most adapted to the new conditions will survive.

Synergetics soon went beyond the boundaries of the natural sciences and began to be used in the study of cultural phenomena. Culture can be imagined as an open, non-equilibrium system, which is in a constant process of exchange of matter (energy, information, etc.) with the environment. From the point of view of synergetics, any open nonequilibrium system goes through two stages in its development. First stage - this is a smooth evolutionary development of the system, with well-predictable results, and most importantly, with the ability to return to its previous state when the external influence ceases. Second phase in the development of systems - a leap that instantly transfers the system to a qualitatively new state. Jump - This is a highly non-linear process, so it is impossible to predict its results in advance. When the jump occurs, the system is at the point bifurcations(branching), it has several possible options for further evolution, but it is impossible to predict in advance which one will be chosen. The choice occurs randomly, directly at the moment of the leap, determined by the unique combination of circumstances that will develop in this moment time and place. But the most important thing is that after passing through the bifurcation point, the system can no longer return to its previous state, and all its further development is carried out taking into account the previous choice.

As it turned out, the synergetic paradigm can be very effectively used to study the dynamics of culture, since all cultural systems meet the requirements of multivariate development, nonlinearity and irreversibility. At the same time, due to the freedom of choice inherent in humans, we can significantly influence the choice of further development of sociocultural systems at bifurcation points, try to choose the most optimal one from the entire spectrum of possible development paths, influencing the control parameters. The control parameters of the system are the most important indicators on which the very existence of the system depends . systems.

Thus, the synergetic model allows us to see in the dynamics of culture not a linear process of development, but many paths of evolutionary or intensely rapid (up to catastrophic), sustainable or unsustainable development. In addition, dynamic cultural changes are a set of processes occurring at different rates, different directions and in different modes. The result of dynamics can be upward development, growth, increasing complexity and adaptability of the system to environment, as well as decline, increasing chaos, crisis or catastrophe, which entails a break in linear development. In general, the process of cultural dynamics can be interpreted as a manifestation of the ability of complex social systems to adapt to changing external and internal conditions of their existence.

So, we have looked at the basic models of cultural dynamics. Recognizing the importance of progressive linear vectors of development in dynamic changes, we must keep in mind that this type of cultural dynamics is far from the only one and often not the leading one in importance. As a rule, it is supplemented or alternates with phase, cyclic or stage changes, which can develop into wave development, into development in a circle.

It is obvious that choosing any of the models of cultural dynamics as the only possible one would be wrong. Such a complex object of study as culture is, in principle, impossible to reduce to a single factor, cause or model. In the real dynamics of culture, we can observe all of the listed forms, which describe both certain stages in the dynamics of specific societies and cultures, and changes in individual elements within these cultures.

Models (forms) of cultural dynamics

Culture cannot exist without updating; it is always a unity of tradition and innovation. Cultural theories and schools of the 20th century. offered their explanations of the process of change in culture.

The first scientific ideas about cultural dynamics appeared in the 19th century. within evolutionism, leading direction in science of that time. True, the term “dynamics” itself has not yet been used. Scientists talked about evolution, the gradual natural development of society and culture, drew big picture history of human society from the primitive state to the modern civilized level. However, they absolutized the development processes, believing that all cultural changes should represent a movement from simple to complex. In other words, they spoke about the programmed progressive complication of culture.

Since the 20th century. ideas about the nature and direction of changes in culture are expanding. Now, change is understood not only as development, but also as any transformation within a culture, for example, crises, a return to the old, or complete disappearance. They are beginning to talk about constant shifts and transformations of cultural forms, which can be ordered and disordered, intense and weak, stable and unstable, leading to development or crisis.

In line with the structural-functional approach in cultural studies, the main attention began to be paid to the study of cultural phenomena as integral systems, the elements of which, ensuring the stability of these systems, are interconnected. At the same time, questions were raised about the sources and causes of cultural changes, as well as about the interaction of cultural phenomena and forms.

A milestone for the analysis of the issue of cultural changes was P. Sorokin’s book “Social and Cultural Dynamics” (1937–1941), where the term “cultural dynamics” was first introduced into scientific circulation. Today under dynamics of culture understand not only the development, but also any change in culture, the stable order of interaction of its components, one or another of its periodicity, stages, direction towards some state.

Gradually, a range of issues related to the dynamics of culture was determined - types and forms (models) of cultural changes, determinants and mechanisms of cultural dynamics. Models of cultural dynamics allow us to look at culture from the outside.

Ideas about the dynamics of culture, its cycles, qualitative change and development are based on the observation and study of political and economic cycles (stages), rhythms in the dynamics of art, science, and everyday life. The life cycles of an individual, which are considered to be most important for assessing the dynamics of the cultural process, are also of considerable importance.

In history and culture, changes have a fixed sequence of stages or states; their continuity and periodicity can exist in at least two forms. Firstly, in the form of an evolutionary process, the essence of which is a consistent irreversible increase in the level of complexity and organization of cultural systems. Secondly, in the form of a time circle (cycle), which is a repeating sequence of certain phases or states. In addition to the two “pure” forms of cultural dynamics, the real course of world history and culture shows us several more of its models.

Cyclic model. Historically, the first ideas about the dynamics of culture in the form time circle (cycle) arose in the ancient world, within the framework of mythological models of the world in China, India and Ancient Greece. They were based on the idea of the eternal cycle of events and the eternal return to their origins, as well as on the periodic repetition of phenomena in nature and culture.

Development ends with a cultural crisis caused by the rebellion of nature against man. The crisis could not be considered a completely negative phenomenon, since it did not lead to the final collapse of culture, it returned it to the starting point from which a new development cycle began. At one point the past and the future coincided, they became invariants. Such cycles were repeated endlessly, this is the meaning of the eternal return and idealization of the past.

Inversion– a variant of the cyclic model of cultural dynamics. Now changes do not go in circles, but perform pendulum swings from one pole of cultural meanings to another. Changes of this kind occur when a culture has not developed a strong core or structure. Therefore, the less stable a society is and the weaker the relationships between its components, the sharper the turns in its spiritual or political life: from strict normativity to laxity of morals, from wordless obedience to merciless rebellion.

An inversion wave can cover a variety of periods - from several years to several centuries. This happened at different times and with different societies. Thus, in the Roman Empire, this was a transition from paganism to monotheism, accompanied by the eradication of previous cults. Inversion leads to the destruction of the previously accumulated positive property, which sooner or later causes a revival, or restoration, of the past. For example, the European Renaissance led to the restoration of ancient pagan culture, the cultivation of those values that were denied by the Christian Church for many centuries. But the Renaissance was followed by the Reformation and Counter-Reformation, which partially restored the shaky position of religion.

The 20th century demonstrated a transition from religion to atheism in Russia, which led to the destruction of former shrines, sweeping criticism of religion and reprisals against priests. At the end of the century, the pendulum swung in the opposite direction, and we see a revival of interest in religion, both among the people and on the part of the state. Many countries (for example, Japan) demonstrated a transition from a policy of cultural isolation to intensive contacts with other cultures.

A striking example of an inversion movement can be any victorious revolution - a radical break, a revolution in political, social, economic relations, a denial of previously dominant values in society.

Concepts of local civilizations N.L. Danilevsky, O. Spengler, A. Toynbee are also variants of the cyclic model of cultural dynamics. Denying the concept of world history as a single historical process, they put forward the idea of the development of individual peoples and cultures, occurring according to cyclical laws, invariant for all cultures. The development of individual civilizations or cultural-historical types can occur either sequentially or in parallel. The form of development is the same for everyone, but the content is unique for each culture. The development of local civilizations goes through the stages of emergence, development, prosperity and decline - a return to their original state. The dynamics of the development of an individual local civilization can be compared to a perennial plant that gains strength for many years, only to bloom magnificently once in its life, giving all its strength, and then die.

Linear model of cultural dynamics. Associated with the emergence of Christianity and the understanding of its ideas within the framework of theology is the emergence linear(evolutionary) model of cultural dynamics. It is based on one of the fundamental paradigms of Christianity - the arrow of time, opening eternity, breaking the circle of eternal return to the original beginning, introducing the concepts of the beginning and end of history - from the creation of the world to the Last Judgment and the end of the world. Within the framework of this model, the problems of progress in history and culture, the meaning and purpose of cultural development, and measures of cultural perfection were posed for the first time.

The linear model can take on a variety of forms, depending on what is recognized as the source and goal of the development of society and culture. Thus, in Kant it is the development of man himself, in Hegel it is the self-development of the absolute spirit, in Marxism it is the development of material production. But from all representatives of this trend, several fundamental ideas can be identified. The main one - the idea of the unity of the human race, the single essence of man - inevitably leads to the recognition of the uniformity of cultural development in any part of the world. This single world culture develops from a lower, simplest state to a more complex, higher level, passing through a continuous series of successive stages, each of which is more perfect than the previous one.

And peoples who have risen to the same level of cultural development must enjoy the same fruits of culture. There are general patterns of cultural development; they can be discovered and used for one’s own purposes.

An important element of linear concepts is the concept progress– quantitative and qualitative improvement of human life and society. And depending on the accepted concepts about the mechanism of cultural development, its goals and means, one or another criterion of progress is introduced. Thus, for Hegel, the criterion for the progressive development of history and culture, or the self-development of the absolute spirit, is the consciousness of freedom. In Marxism, progress is understood as the correspondence of productive forces and production relations in the process historical development. For L. White, who considers the development of culture a process of conquest natural forces, the criterion of progress is the increase in the amount of energy consumed per year per capita.

Reversible model is a variant of the linear (evolutionary) model of cultural dynamics and, unlike classical evolutionary models, represents an arrow of time facing the past, towards the golden age. And everything further is only involution, degradation of culture. Man must turn back the course of history, return to the ideal original state of culture - to the golden age. In other words, in addition to the idea of evolution, it uses some value determinants of the cyclical model of development.

An example of a reverse model of cultural dynamics is the concept of LJ. Rousseau, for whom the development of culture and the growth of a person’s material well-being do not bring happiness, but the alienation of a person from the products of his labor, from society, from other people, i.e. negative factor. The transition from barbarism to civilization, which took place in ancient times, did not become the beginning of the progressive development of mankind. Human happiness is in unity with nature. You can return to it only by abandoning modern civilization and its values.

Deviant model of cultural dynamics was formulated within the framework of neo-evolutionism, based on the linear model of cultural dynamics (L. White, A. Kroeber, D. Stewart, M. Harris). Graphically, it can be presented in the form of a highly branching tree, where the trunk is the general line of development of society and culture, and the branches are deviations from it, allowing us to explain the specifics of individual cultures that have deviated in their development from the main direction prescribed by open laws.

The deviant model of cultural dynamics arose as a response to the difficulties of classical evolutionism, which failed to explain the qualitative diversity of cultures. This model also removed the question of the unilinearity of the evolutionary process, the desire to bring all cultures to a “common denominator.”

To explain the diversity of cultures, this model introduced the concept of general And specific evolution. The general evolution that forms common cultural traits occurs through processes of intercultural interaction. Specific evolution characterized each individual culture, which had to adapt to the characteristic conditions of its natural environment, and as a result, the uniqueness and uniqueness of each culture was affirmed.

The deviant model of cultural dynamics is clearly formulated in the works of L. White. He concluded that the evolutionary interpretation of human culture as a whole must be single-line. But human culture, as a collection of many cultures, must be interpreted multilinear. The evolution, for example, of writing, metallurgy, social organization, architecture, trade can be considered from both unilinear and multilinear points of view. At the same time, the unilinearity of the cultural process does not raise doubts when comparing similar cultural phenomena of the Western and Eastern hemispheres, which until the end of the 15th century. developed independently of each other.

Wave model of cultural dynamics combines cyclic and linear models, connecting reversible and irreversible processes. D. Vico and P. Sorokin spoke about wave changes in culture, but this model was most fully revealed in the works of the Russian economist N.D. Kondratieva. He suggested that the economy and other closely related spheres of culture develop on the basis of a combination of small cycles (3.5 years) with medium-term (7-11 years) and large (50 years) cycles. The recovery phase is associated with the introduction of new means of labor, an increase in the number of workers, which is accompanied by an increase in optimism in society and a balanced development of culture. The recession causes an increase in unemployment, the depressed state of many industries and, as a consequence, pessimistic moods in society, and the decline of culture.

Kondratiev's main ideas were statistically tested and developed by the American economist I. Schumpeter, who considered innovations, both technical and socio-cultural, to be the main factor in the cyclical dynamics. Their appearance serves as a stimulus for economic growth and recovery from the crisis. The completion of the cycle of development and use of innovation again plunges society into a state of crisis.

In the second half of the 20th century. Schumpeter's ideas were implemented by developed countries in the innovation policy of firms operating on the market, which constantly offered new products. And states supported this policy with tax regulation, support for small innovative businesses and risk capital. As a result, society has risen to a qualitatively new, post-industrial stage of development.

E. also speaks about the wave nature of human history. Toffler in his work "The Third Wave". He distinguishes three stages: agricultural, industrial and informational, replacing each other thanks to technical progress. Toffler also notes the acceleration of progress: if the first stage lasted thousands of years, then the second took only three hundred years to outlive itself. Therefore, the third wave is unlikely to last more than a few decades.

Interesting development ideas of cyclicity were received in the works of YM Lotman. In his book “Culture and Explosion,” the main form of cultural dynamics is called inversion, the transition from one pole of cultural meanings to another - both continuous, in gradual, well-predictable processes, and in the form of an explosion, the unpredictable emergence of something new in science and art.

A supporter of the ideas of cyclicality in modern domestic cultural studies Yu.V. Yakovets understands the cycle as the time from the revolutionary revolution, which marks the birth of a new historical system, to the next revolution, which approves the new system. Moreover, the course of history is a spiral. The pendulum never ends up at the same point twice, but oscillates in similar phases. Yakovets highlighted five phases development of civilization. First phase, prehistory - the emergence and formation of the initial elements of a new civilization in the depths of the old one - is quite long. Then it begins second phase-– formation, rapid growth of a new civilization entering the historical arena. On third phase– maturity – civilization fully realizes its potential in all spheres of culture, but, unfortunately, at the same time, the contradictions inherent in this civilization make themselves felt, and the limits of its capabilities are indicated. Next, for the still powerful civilization, fighting to prolong its century, inevitably comes fourth phase- decline - after all, a new civilization is already emerging within it. Fifth, relict phase in history is possible if in some peripheral territories fragments of civilization are preserved, representing a living museum for scientists, but not influencing events in the world.

Yakovets’ concept considers not only the model of development of civilizations ( microdynamics of culture), but also of all humanity as a whole (macrodynamics of culture). In his opinion, the path of development of society and culture combines irreversible evolution, a progressive transition from stage to stage, with reversibility in a wave-spiral form of movement, periodic alternation of phases of rise, stabilization, crisis, depression, revival and a new rise of culture, more or less significant periods of its ups and downs. This rhythm is specific to each element of culture, each country, but together it forms the general symphony of the evolution of humanity, its movement from turn to turn of the historical spiral.

The dynamics of culture are polycyclic. Rhythms stand out. medium term(10–20 years), when there is a change in generations of people and technology, cycles of economic activity are observed. Long-term cycles last on average half a century, during which time the dominant scientific and artistic schools are replaced (these cycles are similar to Kondratieff cycles). And finally, ultra-long-term (civilizational) cycles cover from several centuries to several millennia, when the spiritual prerequisites and foundations for changing the dominant technological and economic methods of production and socio-economic systems are created. All these cycles overlap each other. In the cyclical dynamics of culture, complex chains of internal and external interactions can be distinguished: ups and downs in the development of culture are synchronized with demographic, technological, economic, and socio-political cycles.

So, first ultra-long-term cycle in the dynamics of world culture lasted two to three millennia and was marked by the emergence of writing, cities, crafts and Agriculture Its peak occurred in the 7th–6th millennium BC, through it to different time local civilizations passed through in the initial period of their formation.

Second ultra-long-term cycle- early class society - brought with it a large social division of labor, from physical labor mental labor has sprung off. The increased level of labor productivity, the more complex needs of state rulers, the ruling elite, and priests led to the emergence of a whole range of new professions: architects, sculptors, painters, dancers, musicians, poets, etc. This cultural cycle reached its peak in the 3rd–2nd millennium BC. e. in the countries of the eastern and southeastern Mediterranean, India, Persia and China.

The true flowering of culture is observed in third ultra-long-term cycle, in the era of ancient civilization. In the VI–III centuries. BC e. in Ancient Greece, in the Alexandrian period, in the heyday of the Roman Empire, in Indian and Chinese civilizations, human aesthetic needs and their satisfaction rose to unprecedented heights. In those days, a much larger share of social labor was spent on art than in our time. The rise of ancient culture determined its further development for all subsequent eras.

Fourth ultra-long-term cycle belongs to medieval society, its peak in Europe falls on the 11th–12th centuries, and in China, India, Arab world- a little earlier. The culture of medieval society was under the dominant influence of world religions, which determined the main content of works of art and largely influenced the choice artistic styles, were the basis of people’s worldview and entire way of life.

Epicenter fifth cycle became Western Europe Renaissance, pre-industrial civilization. This was the period of the first global scientific revolution, the rapid flowering of art, attempts to liberate ourselves from the power of religion, it laid the foundations of our modern world.

Sixth civilization cycle covers the period of formation, development and decline industrial society(from the middle of the 18th to the last quarter of the 20th century). It began with further breakthroughs in all areas of science, which turned it into a powerful productive force in industrial society. The sphere of education also expanded significantly, gradually covering all segments of the population, the use of industrial means began to disseminate works of artistic culture, and religion continued to lose its position. But at the same time, there was a weakening of humanistic tendencies; the spiritual sphere of the Western world, having noticeably increased in breadth of distribution, lost in the depth of changes. The machine spirit increasingly dominated the spiritual sphere, striving for standardization and unification of this sphere and its products, which increasingly became a commodity, an object of commercial activity. The ancient cultures of the East and Africa suffered heavy losses.

A crisis spiritual world industrial society covered all aspects of his life, reaching its apogee in the last quarter of the 20th century. But at the same time, in the chaos of the collapse of traditional scientific paradigms, cultural schools, educational systems, moral norms, capitalist and socialist ideals, the spiritual prerequisites for a new, post-industrial society are emerging. The countdown begins the seventh ultra-long-term cycle of cultural development, the peak of which will be reached in the second half of the 21st century. This society will be able to overcome the suffocating power of the industrial machine, revive humanism, proclaim the priority of spiritual values, and the flourishing of the creative powers of the individual.

Newest models of cultural dynamics. One of the latest discoveries of cultural studies - synergetic model dynamics of culture - created as a result of the application of models of the new science of synergetics, which studies the self-organization of simple systems, to the study of cultural phenomena.

Self-organization is a process that transforms an open nonequilibrium system into a new, more stable state, characterized by a higher degree of complexity and order. The study of these processes began in the 1970s. within the framework of a new science - synergetics, the creators of which were the German radiophysicist G. Haken and the Belgian chemist of Russian origin I. Prigozhin. They managed to show and reflect in mathematical models how order can emerge from chaos. At the same time, out of several similar systems participating in this process and located in a changing environment, only a few will survive. They will become more complex and orderly than previous systems, and other systems will perish.

From the point of view of synergetics, any open nonequilibrium system goes through two stages in its development. The first stage is the smooth evolutionary development of the system, with well-predictable results, and most importantly, with the ability to return to its previous state when the external influence ceases. The second stage in the development of systems is a leap, which instantly transfers the system to a qualitatively new state. A leap is a highly nonlinear process, so it is impossible to predict its results in advance. When the jump occurs, the system is at the point bifurcations(branching), it has several possible options for further evolution, but it is impossible to predict in advance which one will be chosen. The choice occurs randomly, directly at the moment of the leap, determined by the unique combination of circumstances that develop at a given moment in time and in a given place. But the most important thing is that after passing through the bifurcation point, the system can no longer return to its previous state, and all its further development is carried out taking into account the previous choice.

The synergetic model of systems development is considered today to be generally scientific

As it turned out, the synergetic paradigm can be very effectively used to study the dynamics of culture, since all cultural systems meet the requirements of multivariate development, nonlinearity and irreversibility. At the same time, due to the freedom of choice inherent in humans, we can significantly influence the choice of further development of sociocultural systems at bifurcation points, try to choose the most optimal one from the entire range of possible development paths, influencing the control parameters of the system.

Thus, the synergetic model allows us to see in the dynamics of culture not a linear process of development, but many paths of evolutionary or intensely rapid (up to catastrophic), sustainable or unsustainable development. In addition, dynamic cultural changes are a set of processes occurring at different rates, different directions and in different modes. The result of dynamics can be either upward development, growth, increasing complexity and adaptability of the system to the environment, or decline, increasing chaos, crisis or catastrophe, which entails a break in linear development. In general, the process of cultural dynamics can be interpreted as a manifestation of the ability of complex social systems to adapt to changing external and internal conditions of their existence.

Another modern model of cultural dynamics is postmodern concept . Postmodernism is not a particular school or scientific direction, but a general mentality of the second half of the 20th century, based on the ideas of pluralism. Postmodernists do not reject any of the known forms of cultural dynamics, believing that they all eclectically combine with each other and create a huge variety of options. At the same time, they refuse to recognize cultural change as a directed, orderly process, constantly emphasizing its uncertain, transitional nature. Therefore, for postmodernism the dynamics of culture is neither growth, nor development, nor a purposeful movement towards some state, but is a disorderly spread, devoid of any direction, irregularly moving to the side, up, back. This form of dynamics was called the term “rhizome,” borrowed from botany. This is due to the fact that for a person in the modern world, culture appears not as a combination of organized sociocultural systems, but as many different fragments of reality, coexisting authorities, values, cultural forms and styles, united neither synchronously nor diachronically. The space surrounding modern man and he himself cannot be reduced to any single principle that unites them; they are completely decentralized.

We have listed the models of cultural dynamics existing in modern cultural studies. It is quite obvious that choosing any of them as the only possible one would be wrong. Such a complex object of study as culture cannot, in principle, be reduced to a single factor, cause or model. In the real dynamics of culture, we can observe all of the listed forms, which describe both certain stages in the dynamics of specific societies and cultures, and changes in individual elements within these cultures.

The macrodynamics of culture, which we discussed above, correlates quite clearly with its graphic images. But qualitative changes in both culture as a whole and its individual constituent elements are very difficult to represent in graphic models. This question will be more clear if we analyze the internal processes of the dynamics of culture and its constituent elements, which are called types of cultural dynamics.