Theoretical foundations of the concept of "inculturation": specification of terminological boundaries"

Sachkova Natalia Aleksandrovna

The concept of enculturation has not been given its articulate definition. Therefore, it has been used inconsistently in anthropology as well as in other fields. Various anthropologists have tended to regard enculturation as consisting of such processes as socialization, the acquiring of culture, and cultural internalization, excluding an innovative process of enculturation. The article analyzes some approaches to the delimitation of the concepts «enculturation», «socialization» and « acculturation», the specifics of using the concepts of this semantic field in the of foreign researchers. The definition of the concepts «inculturation» and «acculturation» is proposed, the specifics of the assessment of the corresponding processes are described.

Keywords:culture, enculturation, acculturation, socialization, man, socio-cultural practices, cultural transmission, culture transmutation.