Vlasova V.B. Social Mythology and Modernization of Contemporary Culture

Abstract: The article is devoted to the phenomenon of social mythology under the conditions of modern globalization and cultural modernization processes. The main interest of the researcher is focused on the peculiarities of the mythological consciousness structure that restore archaic formations of modern social practices as their value orientations. Vlasova analyzes constitutive elements of mythological world perception and what had enrooted those elements in human activity since ancient times till our days. The researcher describes particular social and historical situations that created the 'fertile ground' for reproducing social mythology in rational creativity of a modern subject. The methodological basis of the research involves comparative analysis of the myth making process in the present and the past, social-psychological description of mythtellers from the point of view of their existence in particular socio-cultural circumstances. The novelty of the research is caused by the fact that the author views the problem of mythological orientation both in yesterday's and today's practices, analyzes pluses and minuses of the role of myth at all times and explain that duality. Conclusions: social mythology is irremovable from the culture creation process because a subject must have emotions, moods and imagination. Being the source of ethnomental archetypes, mythology preserves unique features of individual cultures opposing to unifying tendencies of the modernization process. Modern alienation of the global culture results in distorted functions of mythology while eliminating its causes. 

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