“Dialectics of Myth” by A. F. Losev as a Theoretical Basis in the Approach to Ethnosophy – МЕЖДУНАРОДНЫЙ ЖУРНАЛ ИССЛЕДОВАНИЙ КУЛЬТУРЫ

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Andrey B. BOCHAROV
The North-West Institute of Management – branch of the Russian Presidential Academy of National Economy and Public Administration
57/43, Sredny prospect V. O., Saint Petersburg, 199034 Russian Federation
Associate Professor of the Department of Social Sciences
PhD in Philosophy
Associate Professor
e-mail: bocharov-ab@ranepa.ru
ORCID: 0009-0005-0115-1243

Andrey V. VOLODIN
Immanuel Kant Baltic Federal University
14, st. Alexander Nevsky, Kaliningrad, 236041 Russian Federation
Higher School of Philosophy, History and Social Sciences, Laboratory Assistant
Sociological Institute of the RAS – Branch of the Federal Center of Theoretical and Applied Sociology of the Russian Academy of Sciences
25/14, 7-ya Krasnoarmeyskaya street, Saint-Petersburg, 190005, Russian Federation
Junior Research Fellow
e-mail: andreivladvol@gmail.com
ORCID: 0000-0003-4568-1025

“Dialectics of Myth” by A. F. Losev as a Theoretical Basis in the Approach to Ethnosophy

Abstract: The article analyses the concept of ethnosophy that has been recently studied and devel-oped by Russian philosophy (A. V. Malinov, V. R. Arseniev). The question of its theoretical content, heuristic value and methodological relevance is raised. The working hypothesis is the fruitfulness of research into the concept of ethnosophy through reference to A. F. Losev's Dialectics of Myth. The study of ethnosophy in the context of A.F. Losev's synthetic approach, his conclusions and intuitions will make it possible to assess the concept of ethnosophy, its weaknesses and strengths more clearly and comprehensively. The methodological basis of the work is formed by the works of Russian philosophers working in this field. Particular attention is paid to a specific geographically delineated form of ethnosophy, namely ethnosophy in the Altai, which has attracted the attention of domestic researchers in recent years. The theoretical results of this study are to be tested during a special research expedition to Altai. The section "Introduction" shows the problematics of the concept "mythological mindset", the relevance of this concept in the research paradigm of modern science, as well as the connection of myth with the construction of cultural identity. The object of this study is the concept of ethnosophy in its genealogy, history, and perspective; and the subject is the analysis of the theoretical value of ethnosophy in the context of A. F. Losev's Dialectics of Myth. The key figures developing the hypotheses of ethnosophy are pointed out. The Discussion section presents an analysis of the Dialectics of Myth in relation to ethnosophy. Losev’s idea of relative and absolute mythologies, his critique of New European scholarship, and the key sections of Dialectics of Myth that contribute to the theoretical clarification of ethnosophy are analysed. A brief history of ethnosophic analysis formation is presented, as well as key attributes of ethno-sophic thinking in the context of contemporary Altai culture. The Conclusions section presents hypothetical claims that emerged from the analysis of ethnosophy.

Key words: philosophy, archaeosophy, ethnosophy, ethnosophy of Altai, regional philosophy, my-thology, ethnography, Losev, national consciousness.

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For Citation:

Bocharov, A., Volodin, A. (2023) “Dialectics of Myth” by A. F. Losev as a Theoretical Basis in the Approach to Ethnosophy. International Journal of Cultural Research, 1 (50). 19–32. DOI: 10.52173/2079-1100_2023_1_19

DOI: 10.52173/2079-1100_2023_1_19