Cultural code as the quintessence of spiritual values of the nation: markers of transformation of ideological paradigms

Abstract

Relevance. The relevance of the study is mainly driven by the active transformation of the cultural map of the world, and the shift in cultural paradigms, which also results in new understandings of the "cultural code" for each nation. Juncture periods, marked by military clashes and political and economic crises, are always particularly fruitful for the transformation processes of the cultural sphere, principally the "cultural code", which is the core of the essence of any nation. Purpose. The purpose of this study is to trace these transformations and analyse their nature and causes. Methodology. Comprehensive, historical, comparative, and cross-cultural methods were used to achieve the goal. Results. The "culture code" has been studied by researchers from various disciplines for more than half a century and always remains topical, as the question of a nation's self-determination, its self-identification under the new reality, is always at the top of the agenda. "Cultural code" is defined primarily as a universal key to understanding the spiritual essence of a nation, the quintessence of its moral and aesthetic norms and attitudes, a concentrated knowledge of its cultural nature shaped by art, tradition, language, and morality. Conclusions. Comparative analysis, however, seemingly a-priori impossible, is still interesting and useful for understanding the nature and character of a nation. Among the prerequisites are, first of all, political events provoking a change in the hierarchy of values, new vectors of the process of cultural synthesis, new favourites on the cultural map of the world, leading to the loss of the identity of the nation in case of its susceptibility to external factors or to isolation in case of radical rejection of external influences.