Myth as a Universal Context of Cultural Interpretation

The article examines the phenomenon of contextual dependence of culture and the primary reasons for its interpretation in the social practice of history and modernity. It is identified that different social types of culture are dependent on different contexts. One of the most universal contexts that determine the interpretation of cultural artifacts is mythology. For ordinary folk culture, this context is ethnographic mythology, well studied by academic science. The interpretation of cultural artifacts within the framework of this mythology is connected with correlation of the meanings of the artifacts under consideration with the prevailing worldviews in this community. For elite specialized culture, the actual context is the mythology of power — ideology. The interpretation of artifacts of this culture is carried out mainly by determining the degree of their political utility. For mass culture, the main context is the mythology of social prestige — fashion. The interpretation of artifacts of this culture is carried out mainly by determining the scale of social demand for these artifacts, i. e. their place in the market of cultural products. The scientific relevance of the article is in deepening the views of specialists about the grounds and processes of interpreting cultural artifacts in the social practice of history and modernity.

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