Culture Of Belarus Research Articles

Vitebsk as a local text

The paper is devoted to the analysis of the image of Vitebsk in the works of Russian-speaking poets of Belarus. The research material is poetic texts of Russian-speaking poets of Belarus, which touch upon the spiritual, natural, material, cultural, historical realities of Vitebsk. The main general scientific methods of observation, description, analysis and interpretation were used in the work. It is proved that the study of the concept of “city” is based, first of all, on the relationship of a particular person and social realities: the city as an extension of a person to the outside world - social, collective, cultural, the city as a “condensed” information and semantic space. Vitebsk is one of the oldest cities in Belarus. According to legend, the city was founded by the Kiev Princess Olga in 974. Dvina is often mentioned in poems. Vitebsk appeared at the confluence of two rivers - the Western Dvina and the Vitba, from which the name of the city came. The ancient name of the Dvina is Eridan, Homer, Hesiod, Nestor the chronicler wrote about it. In the poems of Belarusian poets, she appears in the image of a nurse, a protector, a wise and mysterious woman. The article says that Vitebsk is rightly called the cultural capital of Belarus. The works of Vitebsk poets reveal precedent names that are significant for the history and culture of Belarus, as well as for the world cultural space. Marc Chagall, Vasily Kandinsky, Mstislav Dobuzhinsky, El Lisitsky, Kazimir Malevich worked in Vitebsk. Not far from Vitebsk, the Russian painter Ilya Repin lived in the Zdravnevo estate. I.I. Sollertinsky created his musical masterpieces, M.M. Bakhtin lived and worked in Vitebsk in the thirties. Thus, in Russian-speaking Belarusian poetry, the image of Vitebsk appears as an ancient city, a native home, a spiritual place, a city of creativity, art and inspiration. The study of a local text is a topical interdisciplinary problem that allows not only to outline the conceptually significant features of the semantic complex of a particular locus, but also to establish its etiological and teleological significance for an ethnic group. After analyzing the corpus of texts of Belarusian poets, we came to the conclusion that the image of Vitebsk is attributed to such semantic characteristics as “nurse city”, “protector”, “wise woman”. The paradox lies in the fact that a city with a masculine toponym absorbs alternative gender parameters, which expands the previously explored virgin cities and harlot cities by introducing the features of a beloved city.

Bilingualism in culturological projection: the phenomenon of open thinking

Bilingualism is considered as a phenomenon of culture in the context of language contact. A comparative analysis of the phenomena of bilingualism and biculturality is carried out. It is shown that, while creating prerequisites for the biculturality of the subject, bilingualism, however, does not provide it. The function of choosing a language as a choice of social roles, which opens up for a bilingual subject, is shown. The leading role of language choice in the context of communicative adaptation is substantiated. The criteria of language choice are considered: social, socio-psychological and occasional-situational. Adaptive strategies are modelled in relation to speech behaviour in a communicative situation. The significance of the balance between the linguistic and ethnic identity of the subject, on the one hand, and his desire to meet the linguistic expectations of the interlocutor, on the other, is shown. The role of bilingualism as a factor in the emphasis of reflection on language is substantiated. It is shown that in a bilingual context the problems of language development go beyond boundaries of linguistics and become а subject of wide social discussions. The role of bilingualism in literary creativity is revealed, the value of using lexemes of the second language as a tool for enriching artistic expressiveness is shown. It is proved that the more languages in the applied thesaurus of the subject, the richer the emotional palette of his perception of the world. The potential of the language is revealed in relation to not only expressing, but also reflecting emotions, which expands the range of reflexive comprehension of the emotional sphere. On the material of the texts of poetic culture in Belarus, the expansion of the range of expressive possibilities of bilingual subject is substantiated and its significance for the development of artistic culture is demonstrated. The specificity of bilingual subject’s thinking is revealed. Firstly, it is substantiated that in different linguistic projections, a particular fragment of reality can not only turn with its different facets, but in general be configured in a different way, expanding the interpretive potential of the subject and his cognitive capabilities. Thus, the picture of the world of a bilingual subject turns out to be more multidimensional and more plastic. Secondly, it is shown that the possibility of switching the language code, open to a bilingual subject, entails the possibility of appealing to the values of both cultures behind the languages. The thinking of a bilingual subject turns out to be open in relation to more than one option for perceiving reality, which provides not only a richness of perception, but also an expansion of the range of understanding. Such open thinking also means expanding the possibilities of mutual understanding in cross-cultural dialogue, which ensures the effectiveness of both interpersonal communications and the success of international interactions.

Elements of polish culture in belarus as a constituent of the tourist potential of the stańkowo town

Abstract Subject and purpose of work: The paper presents the tourist potential on the example of the small town of Stankava (Polish name: Stańkowo) in the Minsk Oblast in Belarus. Materials and methods: The research was conducted by means of the diagnostic survey method using the questionnaire as an author’s tool in 2019. The research sample comprised 196 respondents – inhabitants and tourists (including 142 women and 54 men). Results: The results of the research show that Stankava is a naturally and culturally attractive tourist area referring to the history of the former borderlands of Poland with an unused development potential. However, in the opinion of respondents, actions of local authorities regarding the preservation of historical memory and the tourist promotion of the town by means of available resources are on a very low level. When assessing the tourist infrastructure, they indicated the lack of tourist trails, services, accommodation facilities and food outlets. The insufficient marking of existing attractions and historically important places was noticed, too. In the tourists’ view, natural and cultural objects are the most important attraction during holiday in the place under analysis. Conclusions: In order to make fuller use of the tourist potential of the town, it is necessary to develop its tourist and recreational infrastructure and to increase the role of tourism and recreation in the development policy of local authorities.

Transfer of Foreign Ideas to the Philosophical Culture of Belarus in the 19th and 20th Centuries

The article gives an overview of works on philosophy published in the 19 th and 20 th centuries in Belarus, widely influenced by the reception of philosophical views and trends of leading Western European thinkers. The main philosophical ideas of German philosophers (I. Kant, G.W.F. Hegel, K. Marx, F. Nietzsche and others) found creative reflections among the intellectuals of the Northwestern Krai (Region) of the Russian Empire, which included Belarus in the 19 th century. The authors analyze the role of foreign ideas in the first third of the 20 th century on the example of one of the first textbooks on dialectical materialism published by S.Ya. Wolfson in the 1920s (has undergone seven editions). On the basis of the analysis of dissertations (over 800 dissertation of the 1950s–1980s), the authors demonstrate the significance of Western socio-philosophical ideas for the development of philosophical culture in Belarus. Considering the content and features of the processes of transfer of foreign philosophical ideas for two centuries, it can be concluded that is the dominance of the conceptions of German philosophy, especially in the 19 th century. Interest in German philosophy also prevailed in pre-war Soviet philosophy, while the focus was on Marxism and materialistic philosophy in general. Another trend is the significant role of works on the history of philosophy, including personalities and approaches. All this demonstrates that national Belarusian thought developed in the context of European philosophical culture.

“The Phenomenon of Culture is the Phenomenon of Bread”: The Debate on Culture in Belarus (1988–1991)

The scope and content of public debate in the USSR increased radically with the onset of perestroika. The ‘new thinking’ introduced by Soviet leader Mikhail Gorbachev sought to embrace both societal organisation and the individual set of values. This change in political organisation made broad public discussion possible, centring on change as well as the means leading to it. Culture happened to be at the very epicentre of this debate, as it lay at the intersection of collective and private.
 Socialist culture claimed to be an intrinsically ‘serious’, ‘genuine’ culture setting itself against the ‘trivial’ and ‘superficial’ bourgeois culture of the West. The CPSU used socialist realism to promote and encourage monumental genres in literature (novel and poem), music (symphony), art and architecture.
 The late 1980s challenged the established notion of culture. In the BSSR (Belarusian Soviet Socialist Republic), the younger generation of intellectuals (for the main part literati) explored previously neglected genres of mass culture such as the comic, detective novel, erotica, and rock music, thus questioning the ‘sacred’ status of literature and art. Simultaneously, they pushed the boundaries between the local and the global (looking for worldwide connections with Belarusian culture), past and present (rehabilitating authors and ideas rejected by Soviet censorship).
 Such semantic processes were coincident with a material turn. A group of intellectuals arose willing to invest personal time and finances into projects that prompted a revolution in the field of culture. Individual efforts had a cumulative effect, in one way or another requiring the re-distribution of public resources: for example, the publishing plans of the state publishing houses, the thematic scope and structure of academic research, school and university education.
 Considering these two aspects of structural change and relying on publications in the leading intellectual journal of the time, this paper seeks to grasp the features of this structural change. Staying away from teleological, lineal interpretations, we emphasize the discrepancy, contradiction and multilayering of the structural change as understood by Foucault and Skinner. The third concern of the article is the grip of the old language structures with the new discursive reality of perestroika.

Приоритетность духовных ценностей традиционной культуры в процессе обучения студентов специализации «Этнофоноведение»

The article reveals some features of the innovative specialization «Ethnophonics». The purpose of the article is to actualize its significance for education and culture in Belarus. Based on the methods of generalizing pedagogical experience, the scientific and methodological activity of the Department of Ethnology and Folklore of the Belarusian State University of Culture and Arts in teaching students authentic folklore was studied and generalized. The research results revealed the actual content of students' professional training and determined the priority pedagogical task – the development of the spiritual values of traditional culture. Conclusion: it is necessary to teach students authentic sound through the disclosure of the semantics of traditional rites and their practical reconstruction.

Regeneration ability of different cultivars of the highbush blueberry (<i>Vaccinium corymbosum</i> L.) propagated by green stem cuttings

An assessment of the regenerative capacity was made for 20 highbush blueberry cultivars and 3 half-highbush blueberry cultivars introduced in Belarus, based on 9-year research results. Has been established that the regeneration ability of the green cuttings of blueberry is genetically determined with varying degrees of severity in one or another cultivar. The results obtained allowed to classify blueberry cultivars according to their root-forming ability into three groups: easily rooted ((‘Elizabeth’, ‘Hardyblue’, ‘Northland’), medium rooted ((‘Blueray’, ‘Coville’, ‘Croatan’, ‘Darrow’, ‘Denise Blue’, ‘Herbert’, ‘Jersey’, ‘Northcountry’, ‘Reka’, ‘Rubel’) and difficult to resist (‘Bluecrop’, ‘Bluetta’, ‘Bluerose’, ‘Carolinablue’, ‘Duke’, ‘Earliblue’, ‘Nelson’, ‘Northblue’, ‘Patriot’, ‘Weymouth’). It is reliably shown that one hundred varieties of this crop, possessing a higher rootforming ability, produce plants with large biometric parameters of the above-ground sphere. The blue cuttings of highbush and half-highbush blueberries have a satisfactory regenerative capacity, which makes it possible to use this method of vegetative propagation for replication and to obtain planting material of this culture in Belarus.

East Asian Cultural Elements in Modern Belarus as Instrument of “Soft Power”

Subject of the article is elements of East Asian culture in Belarus as instruments of “soft power” policy. We defined spheres where East Asian culture is spreading in Belarus: Martial arts, Religion, Cuisine, Anime / Manga subculture, Language, Cultural organizations. Also the role of embassies in the process of spreading East Asian culture in Belarus was determined. This using of “soft power” instruments influences the image of migrants from East Asia region and attitude to them by local Belarusian society. Key words: soft power, East Asia, Belarus, adaptation.

VIRTUAL GALLERY AS A BASIS FOR THE STUDY OF THE LIFE AND WORK OF BELARUSIAN WRITERS

The legacy of poets and writers of Belarus and Grodno region in particular is undoubtedly rich and diverse. It is well known, that national values begin with the local, regional ones, so that national culture consists of original, distinctive features of regional life. Due to the fact, that on the website of the project LLB-2-269 “Virtual Past is a Keystone for the Future of Museums” the descriptions of museum exhibits were created, we can virtually get acquainted with the artistic and historical heritage of famous personalities, who have left a noticeable imprint on the culture of Belarus and abroad. In a virtual gallery “Literary Grodno region” (http://futureofmuseums.eu/be/ virtual-gallery/maxim-bahdanovich-harodna-museum-collections) virtual visitors have an opportunity to appreciate autographs, documents, books, periodicals, postcards, photographs, household items and home furnishings of the late 19th – early 20th centuries, personal belongings of scientists and writers of Grodno region or of those people, whose lives have been directly related to Prinemanskij region, to Belarus. The descriptions of museum exhibits, which we are presenting, are divided into four subcategories: audiovisual sources, written sources, material monuments and pictorial sources. A significant part of these exhibits has found its place in the “Written sources” subcategory. The descriptions of the original editions of the late 19th – early 20th centuries: works of A. Mickiewicz, E. Ozheshko, V. Syrokomlya, F. Bogushevich, Tetka (A. Pashkevich), Ya. Kupala, Ya. Kolos, M. Bogdanovich, K. Buylo, Ya. Luchina, M. Goretskiy, B. Tarashkevich are of great interest here. Occasional periodicals of the early 20th century are presented by “Nasha Dolya” and “Nasha Niva” newspapers, “Zhizn Belorusa”, “Zhenskoye Delo”, “Krivich” magazines,publications of the first Belarusian calendars etc.The original manuscripts and typescripts of works and letters of such Grodno writers as Z. Veras (L. A. Sivitskaya-Voytik), L. Geniyush, M. Vasilyok, A. Karpyuk, V. Bykov, D. Bichel-Zagnetova, L. Yalovchik are valuable exhibits also. Home furnishings and household items of the late 19th – early 20th centuries are presented in the “Material monuments” subcategory. These are a tea table, a buffet, floor clocks, a bookcase, a chest of drawers, chairs, porcelain crockery and silverware. Writing utensils, caskets, napkins, tablecloths, garments and accessories and other personal items, that belonged to prominent personalities of Grodno, are also shown here. Subcategory “Audiovisual sources” is presented by original photographs of writers and scholars, their relatives and friends, postcards with images of known sceneries and architectural monuments. Among the “Pictorial sources” one can find paintings, icons, portraits, busts, bas-reliefs. In order to understand the style and skill of the definite writer it is not enough only to read his works, it is also extremely important to know the features of that time, which he lived in, his circle of acquaintances that had a direct influence on his creative personality, topics and problems of his works, his position and views. Thus, the virtual gallery “Literary Grodno region”of the project LLB-2-269 “Virtual Past is a Keystone for the Future of Museums” is designed for pupils, students, teachers, researchers and anyone interested in the culture and literature of Belarus. Virtual Gallery is the initial stage, the basis for the study of the huge heritage of outstanding Belarusian writers.

Innovations as a development factor for the contemporary culture in Belarus

: Cultural institutions, being the subjects of management on one hand, and creating economic conditions on the other hand, have a significant impact on the development of the economy. However, cultural institutions themselves need to be developed. Certain economic innovations can become a development factor in the work of cultural institutions.