MASS CULTURE: STUDY APPROACHES TO THE STUDY AND DIRECTION OF THE THEORETICAL UNDERSTANDING

Abstract

The aim of the article is to substantiate the problem issues of mass culture, to outline the main approaches to the study of its problems and to identify the directions of theoretical understanding of mass culture. The methodology of the study is to apply comparative, historical anf logical, analytical methods. This methodological approach allows to open and analyze the theory of understanding of mass culture anfapproaches to the study of its problems. We try to recognize the phenomenon of mass culture for the first time in this article within common culture, which, being in the process of constant dynamic development, transforms and changes, constantly opens new phenomena and peculiarities of manifestations of the complex social anf cultural system of the present. However, the lack of sophistication in the science of the problem makes some propositions deliberative. Their resolution is important for contemporary cultural life. The ambiguity of approaches regarding the general principles of studying the very essence of the concept of “mass culture” adds some complexity and significance to this issue. Modern scientific paradigm identifies three main approaches to the study of mass culture. There are several areas of theoretical understanding of mass culture: the theory of mass culture, which is considered as the culture of “mass society”; research at the Frankfurt School;  structuralism theories; Marxist and neo-Marxist theories; theory of feminism; postmodern theories. Modern scientific thought considers mass culture not only as a dominance of the situation of the conformism of the individual and society as a whole, but rather asa component of general social and cultural processes in their overall dynamics. In addition to postmodern theory, the scientific fields in some ways based on the elite-mass dichotomy. Accorfing topostmofern scientific thought the principles of theoretical and practical transformations of the model of modern culture, claim in this context a certain scientific originality and postmodern approach to the study of contemporary sociocultural phenomena is quite productive for the formation of modern scientific knowledge.

Key words: mass culture, culture of “mass society”, problems, approaches to study, directions of understanding, Frankfurt, structuralism, Marxist and neo-Marxist, feminist, postmodern theories.