Page 75 - 6241
P. 75

The  emerging  subcultural  formations  necessarily  repeat  a  number  of
                  characteristic  features  of  subcultures  that  existed  before  (for  example,  one  can
                  trace the following sequence: ancient cynics – first Christians – modern hippies,
                  etc.). The specificity of all youth subcultures is that they are trying to form their

                  own  worldview,  their  culture,  different  from  the  outlook  and  culture  of  older
                  generations. The adoption of samples and standards created by these subcultures
                  into the culture of society, humanity is problematic, although their influence on the

                  cultural-historical  process  of  development  of  society  is  not  excluded.  In  social
                  groups  with  its  own  subculture,  there  is  a  sufficiently  creative  process  of
                  acceptance,  processing,  rejection  of  the  official  culture  and  the  development  of

                  samples,  standards,  and  the  style  of  its  own  microculture.  In  this  sense,  such
                  groups,  carriers  of  subcultures,  are  peculiar  subjects  of  culture  capable  of
                  influencing  the  development  and  enrichment  of  the  world  human  culture  to  a

                  certain  extent  and  under  certain  circumstances  (for  example,  as  at  one  time
                  Christians).
                         In  the  works  of  foreign  researchers,  such  as  M.  Gardner,  B.  Rassel,  M.
                  Ferguson, the idea is that  in the  modern  western world there  is a "revolution of

                  consciousness." It marks the birth of a new culture. The most important signs of a
                  new spirituality are the formation of a guide to personal experience in contrast to

                  scholastic intellectualism and the law-making morality of the dominant churches;
                  the  increased  interest  in  the  phenomena  of  extrasensory  perception  and
                  parapsychology; the wide admiration by various self-development techniques; the
                  spread  of  fashion  to  magic  and  astrology,  which  penetrates  deeper  into  mass

                  culture; the great popularity of ancient and new eastern religious teachings.
                         Thus, the complexity of the phenomenon of culture shows the specificity of
                  its  dynamic  development.  Cultural  epochs  endlessly  change  each  other.  The

                  beginning of a  new time, a new cultural  situation  is a change  in  value, life and
                  practice.  "Revolution  of  consciousness"  marks  the  birth  of  a  new  cultural  and
                  historical epoch.  Artistic styles reflect the specifics of a  particular cultural area.

                  They change each other, proclaiming the emergence of a new mentality of the era.

                                                           Questions


                  1.  What is the difference between counterculture and subculture?
                  2.  Has counterculture always existed?

                  3.  Can Christianity be considered a phenomenon of counterculture?
                  4.  Why are subcultures born in culture?
                  5.  Please name examples of counter-cultural phenomena.

                  6.  What was the result of youth performances in the 1960-70s?

                                                                                                             74
   70   71   72   73   74   75   76   77   78   79   80