The cultural code concept in the sociology of culture: methodology problem

Podkopaev Sergey Borisovich

The article deals with the methodological issue of studying the cultural code concept within the framework of the sociology of culture. The relevance of the research topic is due to the fact that in modern sociology of culture there is no single methodology for studying such a phenomenon as a «cultural code». Meanwhile, this concept is quite often found in modern sociological research in the context of the grounds for the behavior of a particular nation, ethnic group or local community (ethnic group, local geographically defined community, etc.). The paper purpose is to identify the main methodological problems in the study of the cultural code concept. The research methodology is based on a systematic approach and includes a group of general scientific methods (analysis, synthesis, deduction, induction), as well as a number of special methods: content analysis of scientific literature on the research topic, the method of comparative analysis. Based on the results of the study, the author of the article came to the conclusion that there is no single definition and methodology for studying the phenomenon of «cultural code» in modern sociology of culture, despite the many opinions and classifications in various empirical studies. The author also states that it is precisely the lack of combination of qualitative methods with quantitative analysis that leads to the fact that the concept of «cultural code» still remains an abstraction, the interpretations of which are arbitrary and often poorly substantiated.

Keywords:systemic approach, sociology of culture, cultural code, structural functionalism, society.