The Ecological Dimension of Modern European Culture

Abstract

In the article modern European culture is analysed in an ecological dimension through the model of cultural ecology/ecology of culture. The paradigm of cultural ecology is considered as a way to study the changing relations between culture and the environment in the post-industrial world. The phenomenon of cultural ecology is examined through the prism of genesis in the European and Russian research traditions. The purpose of the study is to demonstrate how modern theoretical concepts of cultural ecology are fulfilled in the EU cultural policy. It is shown that the ecology of culture is the preservation of culture through conservation of nature and overcoming natural disasters. It is demonstrated that trends in the ecologisation of the cultural policy of the EU and the management of European cultural heritage are aimed at joint evolution/coevolution of culture and nature. These trends cancel out their traditional alternative. The need for a unified consideration of environmental and social factors of cultural heritage conservation in the European Union is illustrated by cases of the negative impact of tourism on a number of locations. Modern European culture as a social phenomenon is consistently evolving in the direction of optimising interaction with the nature. The conclusion is drawn that the status of modern European culture in the paradigm of cultural ecology corresponds to modern development of the information society in the version of its Green dimension.