Volodymyr Dahl East Ukrainian National University hosted a guest open lecture by world-renowned American cultural critic, philosopher, philologist, literary critic, linguist, essayist, Distinguished Professor of Culture and Literature Theory at Emory University (Atlanta, USA), Director of The Centre For Humanities Innovation at Durham University (UK), Mikhail Epstein on the topic: “From Culturology to Transculture”.
At the beginning of the lecture, Prof. Epstein presented his latest book “The Russian Anti-World. Politics on the Brink of Apocalypse”, which is his reflection as a cultural critic on the first year of the Russian-Ukrainian war (from 2022 to 2023).
In his lecture, M. Epstein substantiated the need to create a practical direction of cultural studies – culturology, aimed at creating, inventing new directions, styles, approaches in humanities, both in its individual branches – literature, philology, fine arts, philosophy, psychology, etc. and at the crossroads of several sciences: photography, cinema – techno-humanitarian invention; socio-cultural invention (punks, hippies), etc.
If cultural studies is an invention within a specific area of humanities and culture, then transculture is a way out of a particular culture and cultural phenomenon. Transculture is a new sphere of cultural development beyond the boundaries of existing national, gender, and professional cultures; it overcomes the closedness of their traditions, automatisms, language and value determinations and expands the field of “supercultural” creativity; it contrasts itself with the concepts of multiculturalism and the trends of growing specialization of various cultural fields. Transculture is the symbiosis of different cultures in a person, which leads to the transformation of the person’s identity, turning him or her into a “transcultural person.” Such a person will be able to transform the existing contrasts between people into a harmonious union of all people on the planet.
The lecture, which attracted great attention and interest of the audience, was followed by a very lively discussion in which Professor Volodymyr Dahl of the East Ukrainian National University Halhash R.A., Professor Vozniak V.S. of Drohobych State Pedagogical University, Professor Vozniak S.S. of the Volyn National University named after L. Ukrainka, Professor Shapoval V.M. of Kharkiv National University of Internal Affairs professor of Odesa State University “Odesa Polytechnic” Chursin M.M., professor of Volodymyr Dahl East Ukrainian National University Smolina O.O., postgraduate student of “Cultural Studies” at Volodymyr Dahl East Ukrainian National University Yulia Khlystun.
In conclusion, the organizer and moderator of the lecture, Associate Professor of the Department of Philosophy, Cultural Studies and Information Activity Nataliia Shelkova expressed her gratitude to Prof. Michael Epstein for the thought-provoking lecture that sows the seeds of new ideas and concepts in each of its listeners.