200 Faces of Culture: How Literate and Reflective Individuals Are Formed
What makes up national culture, where does it disappear to, and why does globalization push us to choose content that leads to degradation? Professor Iosif Mikhailovich Dzyaloshinsky from the Higher School of Economics gave a lecture on how culture is transforming in today’s media landscape.
What Is Culture and Why Is It Important?
Recently, the issue of cultural sovereignty has been raised in Russia. Understanding what culture is and the role it plays in our lives is crucial. However, when reflecting on the concept itself, it’s important to consider its characteristics. Sovereignty can be territorial, diplomatic, military, or economic, but the most ambiguous is ideological (cultural) sovereignty. According to Iosif Mikhailovich, equating ideology with culture is a mistake, but it’s still worth examining the essence of the definition. Ideological (cultural) sovereignty means that a state has the right to manage culture within its territory, and no one should interfere in this process. In today’s world, there’s a growing sense that cultural sovereignty as such has been lost, replaced by national culture. To understand why, we need to look at the definitions of culture itself.
There are about 200 definitions of culture. One of the most accurate describes culture as “a system of informal rules that tells us how people will behave in most situations.” This means that culture is not just about our background—books we’ve read, movies we’ve watched, etc.—but also our behavior: how we greet each other, communicate, walk down the street. “The pattern of our daily life is culture.” For example, consider attitudes toward something as simple as litter in public places: in Russia, trash and dirt on the streets are common, while in Singapore, a $1,000 fine is imposed for littering. Two completely different perspectives on the same issue. You could also say that “culture is a system of standards by which we judge our own and others’ actions.” But we should remember that there’s always a temptation to destroy what doesn’t fit the standard.
Culture is a set of behavioral and spiritual practices that help people adapt to their environment and transform it according to their needs and beliefs.
The Rise of National Culture
The formation of national culture took place in the 19th century, precisely when nation-states emerged. These states immediately faced the question of how to use cultural standards to unite their people. Take France, for example: one country, but in the south, the Pyrenean culture with its unique temperament prevails, while in the north, the British culture is more stable and calm. The problem of consolidating communities based on certain principles has always existed. Many states are still trying to solve it, but not all succeed.
Creating a national culture requires certain prerequisites—economic, communicative, and others—something that rises above ethnic differences. The state’s position toward culture also plays a key role. There are two main approaches: the state as a gamekeeper, not interfering and simply observing (as in France), or as a gardener, where the elites “cultivate” and encourage certain traits.
New Regionalism and the Impact of Globalization
Despite the existence of national culture, new regionalism is now taking a leading role. Monolithic states are breaking up into national parts. Distinct communities are forming within social groups, a trend especially visible with migrants. All these events are reflected in the vast space of media globalization.
Globalization has gone through several stages: the 15th, 17th, 19th, and 21st centuries. Today, this process is accelerating. We are witnessing an almost unified economic world. “There are many of us, and we are hungry.” National transnational corporations take advantage of this, bringing the world closer to economic and financial unity. The same is true for the media. The presence of global innovation flows and a small number of news agencies means that the so-called agenda is set by a narrow circle of organizations. As a result, national borders become almost meaningless. For example, 30% of Russian media is owned by foreign companies. It becomes clear that the average reader, viewer, or listener only forms images, not a complete picture of life. However, research shows that consumers themselves choose content that doesn’t lead to development, but rather to degradation.
Trends in Cultural Attitudes and Choices
People’s choices and attitudes toward culture can be judged by three main trends. Today, the global model of life is consumption—a very convenient model for producers, but a heavy burden for individuals. Everything is devalued, even eternal values. Moreover, this model is also inconvenient for the state: the urge to consume must be satisfied, and not all states benefit from this. Essentially, these trends reflect the transformation of society’s understanding of culture. People have stopped believing in the effectiveness of previous cultures. “Doing things the way they’re supposed to be done” no longer works. Questions arise: “Why should I follow this?” “What’s the point?” Each person begins to feel their own sovereignty and individuality. Cultural sovereignty becomes a fiction.
What Can Be Done?
There are many possible solutions for states in this situation. For example, they could let things take their course or use force, but it’s long been known that such methods don’t solve the problem and only make it worse. Some countries have tried apartheid, isolationism, or assimilation, but these methods haven’t always worked either. Currently, one of the most effective and productive methods is multiculturalism. This is, above all, a state policy aimed at supporting and developing all existing cultures. Multiculturalism can be strict (active participation of people in the country’s life) or soft (giving complete freedom to the process). In addition to multiculturalism, there are two related approaches: interculturalism, which allows cultural freedom but requires people to be conscious citizens of their country, and transculturalism, which emphasizes the ability to understand and accept other cultures.
The Situation in Russia
In Russia, the media usually use three approaches to reflect relationships between different cultures: educational (focusing more on the ethnic side), folkloric, and patriotic. However, studies show that most Russian media are charged with aggression. 40% of publications demand or recommend being aggressive toward other peoples, religions, cultures, etc. Culture in our country has become a political resource, but no amount of national culture propaganda will lead to a rational solution. First, we need to stop using culture as a bargaining chip. Second, we should finally try to create conditions for the development of literate and reflective individuals who can appreciate all cultural diversity while remaining thoughtful citizens.