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S.S. Zengin

pp. 9-14

Tchaikovsky and Tragedy-Satire of the 20th Century: The Metaphysics of Evil (Article 2)

The article analyzes the historical formation of grotesque poetics in Russian music, which has been expressed holistically and completely in the genre of tragedy-satire, the “brainchild” of the twentieth century. It is the tragic grotesque that became the most vivid embodiment of the sociopsychological catastrophes of the century; thus, it is natural to examine it based on Pyotr Tchaikovsky’s music, which is so close to the turn of the twentieth century. Applying the method of comparative analysis to music by Tchaikovsky and by Dmitry Shostakovich and Sergei Prokofiev, the direct successors of Tchaikovsky’s tragic symphonism in the twentieth century, the author arranges the study in line with the main theses of the PhD dissertation she defended in 1991. The tragic grotesque, the most complex form of musical grotesque, is understood as a comprehensively working contradiction of the tragedy-satire— the semantic equivalent of the Russian “laugh through tears”. The romantic “world pain” inherent in the tragic grotesque, so characteristic of Tchaikovsky’s thinking, does not yet have the degree of social specificity it will acquire in the reflection of the historical cataclysms of the twentieth century. Using the methodology of historical musicology, the author shows the existential content of Tchaikovsky’s grotesque images in the contradictory playful element of “the living vs the dead”, inherent in his operas; this element is the main romantic way to embody the image of evil. The tougher and more specific way to present the social contradiction “the living vs the dead” in the music of Prokofiev and Shostakovich makes their musical concepts the greatest revelations of the twentieth century in its “struggle for the human in man against the inhuman in man”. This idea of L.A. Mazel, which he expressed about Shostakovich’s music, accentuates the music’s accusatory pathos determined by the power of the embodiment of the image of evil, and characteristic not only of the opera tragedy-satire, but of all the composer’s works, which directly inherit the principles of Tchaikovsky’s tragic process. This idea fundamentally expresses the specificity of the juxtaposition of the outstanding musical phenomena of the 19th and 20th centuries, pointing to the common “generic” features of the grotesque musical process. This process develops from the “norm” (lyric and dramatic images of the first parts of Tchaikovsky’s symphonies) to the grotesquely deformed “anti-norm” (which in Tchaikovsky is a form of symphony with tragic grotesque as an image of evil). The function of the grotesque here is the exacerbation of the tragic that contributes to the particular expressiveness of the subsequent tragic catharsis of the finale. The author notes that this logic is constant for the tragic-grotesque process that developed in Russian music in the nineteenth century: in accordance with the specifics of Modest Musorgsky’s thinking, it is reproduced in the famous theatrical existential vocal cycle Songs and Dances of Death, in which the tragic grotesque culmination is the playful “Trepak”, and the tragic ending of “The Field Marshal” is the conclusion from it. It is also fundamental to derive a typology of images of evil by Tchaikovsky: it is always a march militaire, an aggressive-offensive march characterized by a certain timbre dynamics creating the effect of spatial approximation (from the “distant” pizzicato of strings to the deafening orchestral tutti); this shows the logic of the future deadly “marches of evil” of the twentieth century. The tragic expression of Tchaikovsky’s images is the pinnacle of the 19th-century Russian symphonism; it coincides with the humanistic pathos of the Russian philosophical thought of the time. The foregoing allows recognizing it as the direct forerunner of the further development of the Russian accusatory concept, an outstanding artistic and sociophilosophical phenomenon of the 20th century.

Keywords: Fantastic Realism, tragic grotesque, musical tragedy process, typology of evil, tragedy-satire poetics.

Natalia V. Beketova

pp. 15-21

Ten Romantic Pieces for Piano by Viktor Komissinskiy: Genre and Style

The article discusses the musical compositions of Viktor Komissinsky, a famous Kuban musicologist, researcher, educator, teacher, and talented composer. The authors choose Komissinsky, and his works in particular, in order to understand the composer’s contribution to the heritage and development of the musical culture of Kuban. Komissinsky is the author of chamber vocal cycles, large vocal and instrumental compositions, romances, piano and choral works. In this article, the authors refer to Komissinsky’s piano music—a collection of miniatures united under the title Ten Romantic Pieces. The authors briefly describe the history of the creation of the pieces and note that they were initially intended for young performers. The composer never indicated that the pieces belong to an instrumental cycle, but the authors of the article see signs of cyclicity in them. The latter is realized at the level of the arrangement of the pieces: there are obvious introductory (“Reflection”) and final (“Postlude”) sections, and the middle part (“Three Romantic Waltzes”). Taking into account the style of the pieces that the composer indicated, the authors trace the reflection of romantic traditions in them. The latter, according to the authors, largely manifest themselves at the level of the genre and figurative originality of the miniatures. By analogy with Schumann’s piano cycles, Komissinsky’s pieces represent a “round dance” of genres that romantic composers favored—waltzes, lyric cantilenas, author’s reflections, elegies, folk tunes. The authors give figurative characteristics of the pieces in accordance with Lyudmila Kazantseva’s classification that divides figurative spheres into the “world of man”, the “world outside of man” and the “world of music”. In terms of the expression of the traditions of romanticism, the authors note the lyric and psychological content of the miniatures, examine the role of the melody and reveal its features associated with the emotional content of the pieces. Emphasizing the expressiveness and versatility of the musical world of Ten Romantic Pieces, the authors express a wish to continue studying them.

Keywords: composers of Kuban, Viktor Komissinsky, piano miniature, Ten Romanic Pieces for Piano by Viktor Komissinsky.

Elena V. Babenko, Maria A. Popova

pp. 21-31

Symbolism and Geometry of the Under-the-Dome Architectural and Decorative Motif of Ivan the Terrible’s Era

The era of Ivan the Terrible is characterized by a special spiritual tension and experiments in the field of  church art. Under  the  dome  of  the  three  churches  of  the Cathedral of the Intercession of the Most Holy  Theotokos  on  the Moat  in  Moscow  (the Trinity  Church, the Church of St. Alexander Svirsky, and the Church of Saint Gregory the  Illuminator  of Armenia), one  can  see  a  spiral  ornament,  which  is  the  only  pictorial  motif  in  the  painting of the churches. The study aims to answer the following questions: What can the under- thedome spirals mean? Is there a geometric pattern in their  configuration?  Why  are  they  located in these three churches from the 9 original churches of the cathedral? The interpretations and names of this symbol are diverse: “serpentine”, “whirlpool”, “abyss”, “spider”, “vortex rosette”, “multi-beam  star”,  “sun  with  swirling  rays”,  “fire  whirl”,  symbol of eternity, or symbol  of  the  cross.  The  analysis  of  the  geometry  of  each  of  the  “rays”  of  the symbolic motif suggests  that it is  a golden spiral, or  a  Fibonacci spiral, continually repeated  and forming a circular motion. It can be assumed that this is an attempt to symbolize the incomprehensible dogma of the Trinitarian nature of God. This symbol  could  be used  to  contain and express the idea of infinity, eternity, and divine wisdom. In contrast to the above interpretations, the author  associates  the  spirals  of  the  cathedral  with  the  Trinity—one  God  in three Divine persons, not  with  the  star,  sun,  cross,  symbol  of  the  incarnated  Word  that  was God. Fibonacci’s mathematical principle could be  the  basis  of  the analyzed  symbol.  Thus, the presence of this  motif  can be  explained  in  the  Trinity  Church,  as  well  as  in  the  Church of St. Alexander Svirsky, and in  the  Church  of  Saint  Gregory  the  Illuminator  of  Armenia: these saints were granted a Divine Visitation during their lifetime. The  presence  of  the  analyzed architectural and decorative  motif  characterizes  the  era of  Ivan  the  Terrible  as  a time of intense theological search and innovative artistic solutions. 

Keywords: Cathedral of the Intercession of the Most  Holy  Theotokos  on  the  Moat, golden spiral, Fibonacci numbers, Ivan the Terrible, Metropolitan Macarius. 

Raisa A. Suslova

pp. 32-42

The Boskhomji Creative Association in the Fine Arts of Kalmykia in the 21st Century: Traditions and Innovations

The 21st-century art as an artistic process is characterized by the ever-increasing intensity of various kinds of connections: communicative, political, economic, cultural. In the global interconnection of modern life, cultural patterns, scientific achievements, works of art, new forms of social life are translated and assimilated throughout the civilizational space. The culture of the “information society” determines the formation of the art of postmodernism, projecting the artist’s world in the mutual influence of computer technology and mass culture. The art of Kalmykia in the 21st century is analyzed on the material of the exhibitions of the Boskhomji youth association (2017–2019), represented by works of painting, sculpture, graphics, scenography, decorative and applied art, and animation art. In modern painting, the genres of landscape and still life are preferred. The accelerating pace of time limits formalistic searches; one can feel the influence of mass culture, which is expressed in a rather rare phenomenon of a thematic composition on a historical plot. In traditional forms of realistic art, there is an appeal to epic, folklore, and Buddhist motifs of the image. The content of digital art is a distant response to the dynamics of changes in reality by means of copying, collage, and the game principle of the image. Works representing new directions of the creative activity of Kalmyk artists (scenography, animation, and digital art) meet the modern challenges of the social life of the postmodern era. Innovative phenomena characterize art as a complex ambiguous phenomenon that requires a comprehensive study. As a result of the analysis, the factual material collected by young artists of the 21st century is summarized and systematized; the works in the aggregate of types and genres of art are analyzed to identify the transitive state of the artistic tradition and review the works of digital art in the fine arts of Kalmykia in the 21st century; factors determining the modern expression are identified, they are traditions and innovations.

Keywords: culture, art of Kalmykia, history, traditions, innovations, postmodernism, exhibitions, artists.

Svetlana G. Batyreva

pp. 42-50

Monumental and Decorative Mosaics of the Late 1980s – Early 1990s in Kalmykia

For the first time, the object of the study is the works of monumental and decorative art of Kalmykia created in the late 1980s – early 1990s. The article examines the origins of the creative method of Sanal Kaniyevich Boldyrev (1961) and Eduard Eltayevich Sangadzhiev (1962), the first professional muralists in the history of Kalmykia. The reasons for the prevalence of monumental and decorative smalto mosaics in the architectural and spatial decoration of public buildings are determined, and the stylistic features of monumental and decorative compositions are characterized. The article introduces significant works made in mosaic technique in the 1960s–1980s in Elista into scientific discourse, which determines the novelty of the study. Topical issues of an artistic interpretation of ethnic issues in the discourse of historical and ethnographically oriented painting of Kalmykia are examined. It is concluded that semantic and formal changes in the compositions increased due to the response of the authors to the public request on the problem of national identity. An important result of the study is that it revealed the influence of the principles of Buddhist iconography on the compositional solution of mosaic panels Zaya-Pandita (1988) and Inspired by the Epic of Jangar (1989–1990), and answered the topical issues of the transformation of plastic forms and ideological content in monumental and decorative panels created during Perestroika and post-Perestroika.

Keywords: monumental and decorative paintings, mosaic panels, art of Kalmykia, Sanal Boldyrev, Eduard Sangadzhiev.

Delgr V. Sangadzhieva

pp. 50-58

Comedy in the Popular Culture of the First Half of the 1990s (On the Example of US Films)

This article presents a study of American comedy films of the 1990s as the embodiment of popular culture. The study analyzes this type of audiovisual art in the context of conceptual representations of popular culture and collective consciousness, and the signs of comedy films. The study employs a comparative method and the general logical methods of analysis and synthesis. On the example of a number of foreign and domestic comedy films, based on film semiotics, the author analyzes the language of the films of this genre. A semiotic analysis makes it possible to reveal the signs and symbols of comedy films as a phenomenon mainly related to popular culture. First, the author determines the characteristics of popular culture that distinguish it from other forms of the cultural environment of society and concludes that comedy films predominate in this culture, which obeys market laws and is based on marketing and advertising. The author also uses the idea of collective consciousness, since it is formed under the influence of the instruments of popular culture, including comedy films. The author employs the concept “postmodernity”, which allows seeing the ideological foundations of the comedy film genre in the spiritual situation that developed in Western society by the last third of the twentieth century. The study also makes it possible to draw a line between massmarket and elitist comedy films based on the depth of their symbolic content. 

Keywords: comedy, culture, collective consciousness, semiotics, postmodernity, cinema language. 

Vladimir N. Bedenko

pp. 59-68

The Validity of Fictional Characters in Fantasy Films (On the Example of the Image of a Dragon)

Various authors have considered problems of the validity of fantastic images included in the space of fiction films. Researchers have focused primarily on the study of anthropic characters and technological issues. The type of fantasy character has never been analyzed in terms of revealing the image by means of direction and technological methods, which determines the relevance of the article. The object of the study is characters created using computer graphics and included in the imagery of fiction films of the fantasy genre. The study particularly focuses on the image of a dragon, since this type of character is the most frequent in fantasy films among other fantastic creatures. In addition, the concept of the dragon itself is synthetic. The study aims to identify ways of representing dragons created with the help of computer graphics and included in the figurative system of fantasy films. The study analyzes images from the first digitally created dragon in Dragon Heart (1996) to the more modern The Secret of the Dragon Seal (2019) using both western Eragon (2007) and eastern Young Detective Dee: Rise of the Sea Dragon (2013) films. Using the example of depicting mythical characters, the study examines ways of making them valid. In cases authors do not have the opportunity to make photorealistic and detailed images of dragons, they use various artistic techniques and strategies: they show the images through details and do not create integral images, on the one hand, and do not allow viewers to examine the created images closely using camera and editing techniques, as well as the dynamic movement of the characters in the frame. In some films, dragon characters are not organic due to a breakdown in the connection between characters’ functions and their visualizations; in others, this results from unjustified viewers’ expectations based on violations of the validity of the screen image. The analyzed methods of creating mythical reptiles are used in the development of other fictional creatures of the fantasy world.

Keywords: fantasy genre, cinema, computer-generated imagery, animation, synthesis, dragon.

Mariia A. Galkina

pp. 68-75

Heroines of Medieval Courtesy Novels in Modern Films: Figurative Means, Directing Techniques, Aesthetics (Kevin Reynolds’ Isolde)

The article analyzes the features of the interpretation of the image of the main character in the film Tristan & Isolde (2006) by the American director Kevin Reynolds. For the first time in domestic art history, the film becomes an object of interdisciplinary analysis: the authors compare the script of the film with its historical and cultural basis, a novel by Gottfried von Strassburg, and reveal techniques and methods of updating the material. The authors use methods of historical and film studies, semiotic, musical, and comparative analysis. They come to new conclusions: relying on the novel, the director treats its content and interprets the characters in the postmodern diverse and free way. The authors make important observations regarding the director’s aesthetic and artistic orientations: in the film, the events of the Migration Period, the medieval chivalric past, the late Renaissance, and the beginning of the Baroque are aesthetically and dramatically skillfully interwoven and actualized in the modern vein. The authors analyze the means of expressiveness, including the film’s music, which grows into a bright independent “text” that deepens and unfolds the cultural space of the film. Gottfried von Strassburg’s Isolde has a rather passive character, she follows the circumstances, all important decisions are made by Tristan, who constantly fights with enemies (treacherous traitors to his overlord, King Mark), with nature (a chthonic monster), with his love for Isolde. Reynolds endows Isolda with many of the functions of the minor characters of the novel thus supplementing her character with fearlessness, disobedience, actions against her father, good education, high spirituality, and philosophical moods. Isolde turns into an active character. She affects Tristan powerfully, enriches his spiritual world, changes him. In addition, her image grows to the symbolic personification of nature and its miraculous power.

Keywords: epos, Tristan & Isolde, Gottfried von Strassburg, courtesy novel, Kevin Reynolds, cinematic art, film music.

Mikhail E. Zolnikov, Diana A. Aleksandrova

pp. 75-81

The Lost Monuments of Medieval Church Architecture in the Development of the Sochi Region

The article describes the factors that led to the partial loss of monuments of medieval Christian architecture in the development of the city of Sochi in the first half of the past century. This problem has been insufficiently studied until recently. Information on the problem is scarce, some of it is stored in archival funds that are difficult to access. In the course of the research, the authors summarized the available archival material, including that of the pre-revolutionary period, works by contemporary archaeological scientists; they also searched for local history reports and publications that would help determine the location and types of ancient temples and establish the causes of their destruction. The authors particularly emphasize the invaluable role of the scientific community in the study and description of the lost monuments. Pre-revolutionary archaeologists I.A. Vladimirov and L.P. Lebedyanskaya first raised this problem in their studies, which contained descriptions of the “Khosta” basilicas. Archaeological explorations by famous Soviet scientists N.V. Anfimov, L.N. Solovyov, and the local historian I.K. Nedolya gave important information about the Imereti lowland temples and the causes of their destruction. The authors of the article list and describe the temple buildings; some of them are unique. The buildings are all located in the coastal zone, where large-scale works on building railroads, agricultural and tourism facilities have been carried out since the beginning of the 20th century. The authors stress the need to take the lost monuments into account in a comprehensive assessment of the level of Christianization of the region in the early Middle Ages. They conclude that there was a significant Christian influence in the border areas of the Kingdom of Abkhazia and Western Alania in the 9th and 10th centuries and note the negative role of the construction and economic activities in the city of Sochi over the past century and a half, which endangered the monuments of early Christian architecture in the region.

Keywords: basilica, Christianization, archaeology, monument, Sochi region, temple, early Middle Ages.

Nikolay E. Berlizov, Dmitry N. Markov

pp. 81-87

Dramaturgical Features of Music in Documentaries (On the Example of the Film Earth 2100 by Rudy Bednar)

The principles of the functioning of music in various genres of documentary cinematography have only recently become an object of close study in Russian musicology, unlike music in fiction films, which has already been sufficiently studied. This determines the relevance of this article, which analyzes the special role of music in organizing the dramaturgy of the documentary film Earth 2100 by Rudy Bednar. The methods proposed by Tatyana Shak in her book Music in the Structure of a Media Text were used to perform the analysis. The 2009 film Earth 2100 became the material for revealing the peculiarities of musical dramaturgy in the media text. The documentary film is devoted to the hypothetical and real problems of the world community, in which it is ecology that is the catalyst for crisis phenomena. The plot of the film is based on the story of the fictional character Lucy, who is “a witness to the events taking place”. Through the prism of Lucy’s life, the viewer will learn what challenges humanity will face in the future and what steps can help prevent the collapse of civilization today. The musical background of the film is various stylistic and genre solutions. The illustrative function predominates mainly in the moments of quick descriptions of the events taking place, in frames with expert opinions. The music in the film often emphasizes the features of an event, feeling or state; thus, the music performs its characteristic function. The subtext function of music is performed in scenes in which music develops from describing the environment to foreshadowing the fate of all humankind. The dramaturgical function of music is embodied as an “author’s commentary”. The dichotomy of life and death is not a confrontation in the conventional sense: it is only an accompaniment to the main action of the film. The musical dramaturgy in Earth 2100 can be described as epic. Lucy’s story is just a guide to the world of the near future. The music of documentary films, as well as of fiction films, has a number of dramaturgic functions. It has been proven that Earth 2100 has a pronounced thematic material, expressed by the dichotomy of the “childhood theme” and “death theme”. Rudy Bednar’s film has an epic dramaturgy. The musical themes of the film are characterized by development observed at the verbal and plot level.

Keywords: film music, functions of music in media text, documentary film, musical dramaturgy, producer Rudy Bednar.

Tatyana F. Shak, Artem S. Kremenenko

pp. 88-97

Problems of the Initial Stage of Crimea’s Inclusion in the Russian Empire-Wide Space

The object of the study is problems that arose in the economic, religious, and administrative spheres in the Crimean Peninsula in the first decades after its accession to Russia in 1783. The aim of the study is to examine the features of the initial stage of Crimea’s development. The objectives are: to analyze the difficulties of Taurida lands’ accession caused by the sociocultural differences in the population of the peninsula and to identify the economic potential of the new lands. The main method was a general scientific method of analyzing primary sources related to the problems of the development of the Crimean lands. A historical and genetic method was also used to show the dynamics of land relations in the first decades after Crimea became part of Russia. The novelty of the study consists in the fact that documents are first introduced into scientific discourse that allow a more in-depth analysis of the migration policy of the Russian government and land and religious relations on the peninsula. In general, the Russian government pursued a fairly flexible national and religious policy on the territory of Taurida after its accession to the Russian Empire: it granted the local population the right to participate in the administration of the region, do military service on a voluntary basis, and receive a number of benefits. This created conditions for a stable development of the new territories. However, the land issue remained largely unresolved. Despite active migration processes, the effective economic development was uneven. Land disputes continued between former owners and Russian landlords, the Crimean population, and land owners from the Crimean and Russian nobility. Attempts of land surveying and creation of a commission for conflict resolution were not successful. Positive processes for the economic development of the Crimea began only in the early 19th century. The accession of Crimea and its inclusion in the Russian Empire was part of a geopolitical project related to the country’s security and civilizational identity.

Keywords: Crimean Peninsula, development of land for agriculture, resettlement policy, confession.

Natalya B. Akoeva

pp. 97-103

The Theme of the Crisis of Western Civilization in Fyodor Tyutchev’s and Nikolai Berdyaev’s Historiosophy

The article discusses the theme of the crisis of Western civilization in the historiosophical works of Fyodor Tyutchev and Nikolai Berdyaev. The methodological basis of the research is general philosophical methods and methods of cultural analysis. The novelty of the research consists in the identification of axiological grounds for the causes of the crisis of the West in Tyutchev’s and Berdyaev’s works. The analysis of Tyutchev’s philosophical and publicistic works shows that he sees the main reason for the crisis and the revolutionary, destructive principles in the West in an axiological concept formed by three main milestones in history: the formation of Catholicism, the Reformation, and the Enlightenment. This concept prioritizes the human, material, and earthly principle in the value hierarchy. The West is characterized by the primacy of the created over the higher in the metaphysical sense, when the Church is transformed into a political institution; in the epistemological sense, when the pride of the human mind becomes the main revolutionary feeling; and in the axiological sense, when earthly, momentary interests, rather than eternal values, prevail. The analysis of Berdyaev’s philosophical works shows that he sees the main reason for the crisis of Western civilization in the elimination of Christianity, in a cardinal turn from the natural, cosmic path of development, and in the rejection of the biblical axiological universes, which leads to the formation of a mechanistic man, a man reduced to the level of a machine. The conclusions of the research show that both Tyutchev and Berdyaev believed that the main problem leading to the crisis in the West is the leveling of Christian values and an increased attention to the values of the created world.

Keywords: civilization, values, axiology, Christianity, religion, Revolution.

Natalya P. Monina

pp. 103-110

The Origins of the Russian Club

The research focuses on the historical origin of domestic clubs, the elements of club life that underlie the historical development of the club movement in Russia. The culturological attribution of the elements of club life, supported by a comparative historical method and elements of historical and etymological analysis, made it possible to clarify the European and Russian origins of the club. These origins developed as stable forms of cultural organization of leisure, which the author identifies as the protoclub. Agreeing with a number of researchers in assessing the importance of the date of the official opening of the English Club in St. Petersburg by Catherine II (1770), the author draws attention to the fact that the dates of the formation of the Free Economic Society (1765) and the Russian Academy of Sciences (1724), the organization of Peter’s Assemblies and the Nevsky skating (1718) are also significant in the study of the sociocultural nature of the club movement. The novelty of the research lies in the clarification and author’s interpretation of practices that underlie the development of the Russian club and in the introduction of the concept “protoclub”. The latter denotes a sustainable cultural practice of organizing collective leisure that precedes the formation of the club as an integral self-reproducing element of culture. According to the author, the protoclub of Russian culture is “posidelki” (gatherings): their primacy and ancient origin are evidenced by the tradition of retelling starinas (oral epic poems) known to us from the ancient Russian literary monuments of the 13th century. The author sees the prospects of the research in tracing how the aristocratic club formed under the influence of European culture in the 18th century becomes a factor in the intensive development of Russian culture in the first half of the 19th century and, in its second half, already exports its achievements to Europe. 

Keywords: culture, sociocultural activity, club, leisure, free time, culturological attribution, protoclub.

Svetlana I. Shoshina

pp. 111-118

Information and Informational Society: On the Formation of Informational Capital

The article attempts to formulate the concept of informational capital, one of the intangible forms of capital. The author analyzes informational capital as a sociocultural phenomenon in order  to  understand  its  role  in  modern  society.  Thus,  the  author  compares  the wordings “informational capital” and “informational society” with the established terms “information capital” and “information society” to clarify their  differences.  In  this  connection, the author describes  the  evolution  of  the  methodology  of  knowledge  of  informational  capital as a new sociocultural phenomenon. Conceptually, the study focuses on revealing  Manuel Castells’ well-known concept of informational society, which most adequately reflects the  modern era of digitalization. However, the author goes further and proposes the concept of informational capital, understood as the result of an integration of information and communication capital with digital technologies. She justifies the rationality of the use of the term, not to the detriment of the established ones. In this regard, she characterizes and compares authoritative concepts and knowledge about information society, information capital, about information itself as a productive force, commodity, currency, and universe. The concept the author proposes is supported by a review of the experience of domestic and foreign researchers in studying various aspects of informational capital. 

Keywords: information, information society, informational society, informational capital, information resources, socioeconomic activities, communication. 

Alina V. Shtratnikova

pp. 118-128

New Monuments About the Past: Rostov Stories About the Great Patriotic Var

The article analyzes the modern process of memorialization of the events of the Great Patriotic War in Rostov Oblast. Using archival sources, collections of documents and media websites, the authors examine the practice of expressing the feat the Soviet people committed during the war. The methodological basis of the study is the concept of historical memory. In 2010–2020, thanks to the joint efforts of researchers, search associations, public organizations, and government bodies, 27 new memorials, monuments, and memorial sites appeared in Rostov-on-Don. The authors of these works – artists and sculptors – work on military themes, which confirms the society’s need in such objects of history and culture. The society receives monuments and memorials, takes an active part in the very process of perpetuating the memory of the fallen, and thus begins to treat its past more conscientiously. This strengthens the connection between generations and increases patriotism in the country. The authors of the article compare the complex of monuments created in the recent decade with the one built earlier and conclude that the facts about the Great Patriotic War on the territory of Rostov and Rostov Oblast established in recent years are embodied in the monuments and memorials in Rostov-on-Don. Monuments are expressive works with a thematic content. As a rule, they are located in popular places and are elaborated in detail close to realism. In some cases, memorial sites are marked with memorial stones. The study shows that the creation of new memorial objects dedicated to the Great Patriotic War is the basis of the state politics of memory, which, in the context of new political and international trends, allows protecting the outcomes of the Great Patriotic War, as well as its causes and consequences, from revision.

Keywords: Rostov Oblast, monuments, memorial sites, memorials, Great Patriotic War, historical memory, functions of art.

Olga V. Semenova, Vladimir I. Afanasenkо

pp. 129-142

Transformation of the Institution of Marriage in the History and Culture of Iran

Transformations connected with marriage and family creation are among the most important cultural changes in Iranian society in different historical epochs. These fundamental changes include the transformation of the form of marriage, changes in established norms, traditions and customs, changes in the structure and functions of the Iranian family in different historical  periods. The  course  of  cultural  changes  in  Iranian  society  can  be  clearly  traced by changes in the types of marriage in  different  periods:  consanguineous  marriage  (Ancient  Iran), monogamy, polygamy, temporary marriage and, finally, unregistered marriage. This  article aims   to  study  these  changes  and  their   impact  on  the  culture  of  married  life  in  Iran  during historical periods. Despite serious upheavals throughout history and the transition of Iranian society from Zoroastrianism to  Islam,  in  which,  in  turn,  Sunnism  was  replaced  by  Shiism,  the rites of marriage, although different, were always preserved in the social  history  of  the  Iranian people and performed a kind  of  a  cultural  function.  The author  identifies  three periods  in  the  development  of  marriage:  (1)  the  era  of  Ancient  Iran,  (2)  the  era  of  the  adoption   of Islam before the Islamic Revolution, and (3) the  era  of  the Islamic  Republic.  It  is  believed that marriage and family in Iran have gradually undergone many transformations under the influence of religious attitudes prevailing in society, the structure of Iranian  rulers’  political power, government propaganda, and radical cultural changes in each period. In  general,  the  results of the study show that  the  institution  of  marriage  and  its  traditions  in  the  millenia-  long history of Iran have undergone  unique  functional  and  cultural  changes  in  order  to  meet the needs of the Iranian family in cultural terms. 

Keywords:  marriage,  Iran,  cultural  transformations,  history,  family,  woman,  religion Islam. 

Seyedeh Rezvaneh. Mokhtari

pp. 142-150

Works by Mikhail Sholokhov in the Sociocultural Perception of the Danes

The article raises the question of the dialogical interaction of cultures in the 20th century, with a focus on Russian and Danish cultures. Works by the writer Mikhail Sholokhov, an outstanding figure of Russian culture of the twentieth century, are the topic of the RussianScandinavian cultural dialogue. Understanding the position of Sholokhov as a cultural mediator between Russia and the Scandinavian countries is an unexplored phenomenon that requires close attention. The author of the article examines the prerequisites of the sociocultural environment in Denmark that explain the reader interest in Sholokhov’s works and analyzes the perception of Sholokhov’s works in Denmark against the background of the historical events of the 20th century, such as the October Revolution in Russia and the Second World War. In the study, the author uses works by V.S. Bibler, which contain a theoretical basis for the dialogue of cultures and reveal the function of a work of fiction as a topic of dialogue, by D.M. Sharypkin, K.I. Priyma, C.S. Christensen, and V.P. Neustroev on the interaction of Russian and Danish cultures in a historical retrospective. The author refers to articles with reviews on Sholokhov’s works in Danish periodicals stored in the Documentary Fund of the National Sholokhov Museum-Reserve, which significantly complements the study. The author comes to the conclusion that the Russian writer and the Danish people have shared views on values, that the Danes accept the ideas of nationality, of the inextricable connection between people and the land they were born in, and of human life as the highest value that Sholokhov’s works and speeches assert.

Keywords: Denmark, Scandinavian countries, dialogue of cultures, Soviet Union, realism, Resistance Movement, socialism, Mikhail Sholokhov, values.

Lydia M. Slyusarenko

pp. 151-156

The General and the Specific in Dance Directions of Young People in Rural and Urban Areas (On the Example of Stavropol Krai)

The authors of the article analyse the general and specific features of preferences in dance directions among young people in rural and urban areas. The study of this issue aims to identify the existing differences and the features of the positions of the younger generation. The data for the study were obtained from surveys, questionnaires, and interviews of young people aged 15 to 25 living in rural and urban areas. The study was conducted on the territory of Stavropol Krai, and has territorial conditionality. In the course of the study, the features of the youth positions were identified and structured, based on the preferences in dance activities of modern youth. The study also takes into account the positions of researchers in relevant issues. The authors analyzed dance preferences and compared the positions of rural and urban youth. The results are presented in the form of charts and statistics. The study results in a number of conclusions that outline important aspects for a further study of the problem of the functioning of various dance trends in the modern youth community. The authors of the article made a step towards understanding and transforming the cultural confrontation in rural and urban areas. Thus, this article can serve as an initial stage in the study of not only dance preferences among young people in rural and urban areas, but also youth culture in general.

Keywords: choreography, dance preferences, culture, youth.

Victor N. Karpenko, Yulia A. Redko

pp. 157-158

Information about the authors (in Russian)