Culturology as a science

The well-known American anthropologist L. White proposed to name a new science that appeared in the complex of the humanities - "culturology". In the foreign classification it is not singled out as a separate discile. The main science there is considered anthropology, because culture is understood more ethnographically-social sense. Somewhat different is the case in Russia. In our country, culturology as a science is an integral sphere of knowledge that absorbs information from history, philosophy, anthropology, psychology, ethnography, linguistics, art history, religion, sociology and other sciences.

One of the tasks of this new discipline is to teach a person at the level that has been achieved by man. Cultural science as a science explores the historical social experience of people, which finds its embodiment in special norms, laws, peculiarities of their actions, is passed on from generation to generation in the form of values and ideals, interpreted in religious texts, philosophy, law, and art.

Scientists share this scientific field of knowledge on the fundamental and applied. The first explores phenomena related to this field of knowledge, on a theoretical, philosophical level, develops a conceptual apparatus and own methods of investigation. The second, applied culturology, explores its separate spheres (political, economic, artistic, religious) for the purpose of designing, forecasting and regulating relevant processes. The applied field of research, as a rule, has an outlet into the practical sphere of human activity.

Culturology as a science has its own methods of investigation. One of the main methodological methods is the principle of the correspondence of logical and historical approaches to the problems of various ethnic groups under study. The logical method must precede the historical one. The researcher analyzes this culture, compares it with others, finds similarities and differences. The historical method is focused on studying the process of its occurrence, considering the stages of evolution and the results achieved in the period of the most intensive development. These are the main and most famous methods of culturology.

In this scientific discipline there are many schools: socio-historical, racial-anthropological, sociological, symbolic and others.

Culturology as a science has developed in Russia, thanks to the work of E.S. Markaryan in the second half of the 20 th century and his first scientific studies in the 60-70's. In the 1980s-1990s it was officially recognized as an area of science and higher education.

In recent years, new schools and trends in this science have appeared in Russia: philosophy, history, theory, sociology, semiotics of culture and others. Began to appear scientific institutions that study the fundamental and applied aspects of this field. In 1992, the Russian Research Institute of Cultural Studies was established. In the new century, representatives of the new profession began to unite. So, in 2006 the Scientific and Educational Cultural Society began its work, which united many active Russian specialists in its ranks. Culturologists are being trained in higher educational institutions of Russia, theses councils are appropriating academic degrees in the relevant specialties. Today there is an intensive development of this scientific branch. Culturology as a science is now on the rise. This is due to certain reasons. So, for example, the importance of such social processes as the culture-centric tendencies of the possible evolution of the modern world, globalization and others is growing.