Abstract: The object of this research is the category of Maqam, which is ambiguously understood in the process of the description of "classical" music traditions of the Muslim East nowadays. To identify the genesis of this category the researcher has involved historical data about mode systematization in the medieval culture of the Islamic civilization (VII-XVII century). The researcher has also introduced the concept of the three stages in the development of music in the Islamic civilization, defined by the birth of the literary languages (Arabic, Persian, Turkish) with the domination of Iranian culture in the XI-XIVth centuries. Features of musical creativity of Barbad, Ibrahim al-Mawsili, Safi ad-Din, Qutb ad-Din and others are considered; these musicians took part in the formation of the modes. The analysis of musical terms, which describe the medieval modes, their names, nomenclature, helps to understand the following: the term Maqam began to be used not in Arabic, but in Persian and Turkish treatises after the XIVth century, along with similar terms (shadd, angam, parde, dawr) designed for determining interval patterns – scales. However, the category of Maqam/Maqamat is not analogous to the category of "mode"/"folk modes", it expresses the essence of a new civilization, the disclosure of which contributed to the system of modes (12 shudud and 6 avazat) developed in the XIII century by Safi al-Din. This system was based on the idea of “ta’sir” ("ethos") – emotional impact of twelve modes (not single tones) on the person and the character of the nations. Anthropopathetically the character of this teaching connects music with astrology and therapy, and develops the concept of musical art that was enriched with esoteric experience with the help of the widespread term 'Maqam' (meaning 'place' or 'station'), which was introduced into the Sufi teaching, therapeutic and musical treatises. For musicians the Maqam concept has become rather the basic concept for determining the place of music in the culture of Muslims than the theoretical category to signify a mode. The main research methods used include historical and cultural analysis. These methods allow to define peculiarities of the Muslim culture as well as to develop an adequate understanding of Muslim musical art when analyzing historical data and facts about music and theoretical interpretation of authentic musical categories which refer to the development of the ideas about modes in general and Maqam in particuylar. For the first time in the academic literature Maqam is studied from the historical point of view and as a an object of musicological research. The researcher also describes the later genesis of that category in musical treatises and analyzes its theoretical concept in the writings created before the XVth century. These findings provide an opportunity to study the contemporary regional (national) musical events associated with the phenomenon of Maqam and to make the comparative studies in a more adequate way. 

Keywords: Arabic, Islamic civilization, Iranian, treatises, Middle East, maqam, Study Group maqam, mode system, civilization stage of music, medieval

Abstract: The problem of the relationship between spiritual practices/traditions and cultural practices/traditions is investigated in the concrete case of Eastern-Orthodox hesychasm on the basis of the approach of synergic anthropology developed by the author. The framework of synergic anthropology makes it possible to present a self-consistent conceptualization of the problem based on some new concepts such as associated and supporting anthropological practices, immanent culture of spiritual practice, etc. The evolution of the relationship between hesychasm and culture in Byzantine history is reconstructed, with special attention to the phenomenon of Hesychastic renewal of the 14th century which is interpreted as a unique period when hesychasm played the leading role both at the anthropological and social reality levels. The research methodology includes the problem definition, comparative analysis, conceptualization, analysis of the development of the relationship between Hesychasm and culture. The historical analysis has allowed to make a conclusion concerning premises and prospects of the convergence, dialogue and synergy of spiritual traditions and cultural traditions in modern society. Moreover, the results of the research have allowed to see the evolution of culture in a new light as well as to describe Hesychasm from the culturological point of view. 

Keywords: Byzantium, Anthropology, Hesychasm, spiritual practice, Orthodoxy, tradition, culture, secularization, Palamas, neopalamism

Abstract: The author identifies the structural components of the subculture that determine the prospects of its development and influence on common culture: philosophical, creative, social and political bases thereof. The number of efficient bases of subculture is directly proportional to the period of life of the subculture and its influence. There are three major steps of subcultural activities: "being involved in the subculture", "subcultural initiation", and "return", each stage also has particular substages. The structure of subcultural activity is compared to the evolution of the individual. The article provides a description and functions of the main archetypical roles of the participants in subcultural activities: the Hero, the Mentor, the Threshold Guardian, the Herald, the Shapeshifter, the Shadow, the Ally and the Trickster. Methodological basis of the research includes the theory of historical-cultural types offered by Nikolay Danilevsky, Vladimir Propp's, John Campbell's and Christopher Vogler's comparative typological method. The structure-analytical approach to studying subcultures allows to explore subcultural activity over time. In the end, the developed approach provides a complete portrait of the subculture that includes not only a broad description, but also analysis of its influence on human (individual representative) and cultural system.

Keywords: Trickster, Shadow, Ally, Herald, Threshold Guardian, Hero, Mentor, mythologem of the journey, bases of subculture, Shapeshifter

Abstract: The subject of the present research article is the phenomenon of agon (competition principle) from the point of view of the culture-historical approach. In particular, the author studies the dependence of the competition principle on the ancient archaic mythology as well as peculiarities of the Olympic religion that had been created thereupon. As the implementation of the competition principle in socio-cultural environment, the Greco-Roman agon tradition is being viewed from the point of view of socio-economic and political peculiarities of the ancient civilization, first of all, the key feature - ancient city-states called polises that had been created by the VIth century. The methodological basis of the research includes the method of ascent from the abstract to the concrete, the historicism principle and comparative analysis. The novelty and conclusions of the research are the following. As the implementation of the competition principle, agon appeared in the Greco-Roman tradition due to the peculiar nature of the ancient archaic myth and Olympic religion that eliminated dogmatized standards and regulation of individual behavior and therefore any limits of social activity. The motif of becoming a hero encouraged an individual to put forth super efforts towards free and honest competition for the purpose of achieving apotheosis. The absence of a developed thanatological aspect made an individual to try to achieve success in the sphere of the immanent. 

Keywords: regulation of individual behavior, traditions, Olympic religion, Greco-Roman myth, hero, archaic myth, competition, agon, dogmatized standards, social activity

Abstract: The subject of the present article is the phenomenon of transgression in the first philosophical work of Friedrich Nietzsche - "The Birth of Tragedy". The author investigates the ontological aspects of such basic concepts of the teaching of young Nietzsche as Dionysian and Apollonian beginnings. The author of the article explicates the ontological content of the phenomena of culture, art and science in the interpretation of Nietzsche. He also reveals the place and role of the phenomenon of transgression in the being of culture and existence of human. The author also conducts a comparative analysis of certain provisions of "The Birth of Tragedy" with the ideas of Georg Hegel and Mikhail Bakhtin. In his research Faritov has used research methods adopted from contemporary non-classical philosophy and social sciences. Partially he has applied the methodological principles of Jungian paradigm. The main conclusion of the research is the thesis about the subordinate position of the Dionysian transgression to Apollonian beginning in art and culture. The author proves the thesis that young Nietzsche did not unequivocally state the priority of the Dionysian to the Apollonian. In his "The Birth of Tragedy" Nietzsche speaks as a philosopher of culture and art, and the Dionysian beginning is admitted as much as it can be transformed by the enlightening force of Apollonian art images and thus integrated into the culture.

Keywords: Nietzsche, Apollonian, Dionysian, science, culture, art, transgression, The Birth of Tragedy, border, enantiodromia

Abstract: The subject of the research is the philosophy of the Japanese martial arts schools. The article deals with the philosophical category of "essence" and "phenomenon", as the most developed components of the philosophical system of Japanese martial arts schools. On the basis of Zen Neo-Confucian and Buddhist concepts, martial arts masters and founders  developed their own philosophical system aimed primarily at the practical implementation of philosophical principles in martial arts and warrior path in general. The research is based on the analysis of historical sources, works of masters of martial arts as well as articles and scientific papers of leading specialists in this field. The author of the article demonstrates that based on the conceptual framework 'essence - phenomenon' the masters and founders of Japanese martial arts schools developed strategic principles and tactics that implied the application of theoretical philosophical concepts to daily practice and training of a soldier. In addition, theoretical description of these categories is also interesting.

Keywords: philosophy of martial arts, essence, phenomenon, martial arts, Japanese philosophy, orientalism, oriental philosophy, zen, Neo-Confucianism, philosophical categories

Abstract: The subject of the research is the fine art of the Vyg Monastery. The object of the research is the phenomenon of the old believers in the culture of the Russian North. During the research particular attention was paid to identifying the concepts of sustainability and modernization of the old believer traditions in the art of the North. It is proved that for all the controversy, the impact of the old believers on the culture of Northern Russia was positive, in particular, it extended the range of artistic traditions of the region. In her research Skorobogacheva has studied the factors contributing to the spread of Northern art beyond the marginal land: in the Urals, Siberia, the Volga region and Central Russia. In this research it was necessary to use an integrated and multidisciplinary approach. Special research methodology involved the holistic approach, which is based on the ideas of system analysis. When working on specific research tasks, the author relied on the following methods of research: 1. art criticism analysis of works that it is important to understand figurative, ideological solutions and to identify their artistic language; 2. in matters of attribution comparative technical and technological methods are important because they allow to describe the classification and specifics of a particular monument. 3. historical-ethnographic method which encourages the research of old believers ' art samples and analysis of Russian traditions and symbolic meanings therein. The main results of the research are: 1. proof of the the importance of the Vyg Monastery as an artistic centre of the Russian North; 2. determination of the uniqueness of the phenomenon of the old believers in the historical-cultural and religious-philosophical environment, both in the North and far beyond its borders; 3. description of the significant role of the old believers in the distribution of the Northern traditions in most regions of Russia.

Keywords: Ural, vectorvest, old believers, Vyg, Russian North, art, painted icons, cast copper icons, ornaments, Volga Region

Abstract: The article is devoted to the analysis of ethical and philosophical interpretations of the commandment of non-resistance to evil (Matthew 5, 38-41). Along with the two main approaches to interpretation of the commandment (1) as an absolute law that implies an unconditional refusal from a forceful resistance to all kinds of evil; or 2) as a limited rule inferior to the imperative of resistance to evil, the author of the present article describes the third approach to the problem. Within the framework of this research, the commandment is interpreted as a demand for active resistance to evil. The research provides a thorough analysis of the second and third approaches to the problem based on Leo Tolstoy's works and Joseph Brodsky's essays. In her research article Artemieva reconstructs and studies arguments offered by the aforesaid two approaches. The author defines peculiarities of Leo Tolstoy's and Joseph Brodsky's positions and carries out their comparative analysis. The author concludes that even though Tolstoy and Brodsky initially had opposite attitudes to the commandment of nonresistance to evil, both authors insisted that evil must have been resisted. Even though Tolstoy urged not to resist the external evil, he underlined how important it was to struggle against evil inside man himself. Brodsky disagreed and demonstrated that a refusal from all kinds of evil (both internal and external forms) expands the territory of evil, and nonresistance to evil is not always flawless from the moral point of view. The main conclusion of the article says that the humanistic value of the idea of nonresistance to evil can be defined by the fact that it is a complex problem which does not have simple solutions. 

Keywords: evil, commandment of non-resistance to evil, nonviolence, nonresistence, Leo Tolstoy, Joseph Brodsky, good, morality, Hugo Grotius, ethics

Abstract: The article is devoted to the practice of dance improvisation based on the feeling of music expressed in an active motion. The researcher discusses how an action appears in response to music. He also raises questions regarding the difference between 'dancing to music' and 'dancing feeling music', the phenomenon of the latter, what triggers the phenomenon, the definition of a musical action and what features an action acquires when performed by a person experiencing music. The main subject under research is a special kind of personal attitude that involves the entire personality and makes personality to be responsive to music. In the course of his research the author of the article carries out a theoretical analysis and describes his own experience. Thus, the research presents some kind of philosophy of dancing improvisation, in particular, practice of a musical movement. The research provides the phenomenological description of living phenomena and depicts music as a special 'existential world' expressed in movements as well as the psychological description of particular factors that make a person be ready to perceive music. Culture-historical and activity approaches create the theoretical basis for the present research. The novelty of the research is caused by the fact that the author studies psychological conditions that contribute to the creation of a dancing or, more generally, expressive movement. The relationship between movement and music discovered by the author allows to take another look at the processes of form creation in art as well as the situation of teaching dancing and moving. The main conclusion of the research refers to feeling music as a continuous flow of time and existence. Expression of everyday emotions that can be found in music is esentially transformed according to the laws of musical form, musical existence and, therefore, musical time. Being ready to perceive music means being ready to perceive the form of existence that can be found in music. 

Keywords: music, movement, personality, existential aspect of music, attitude, freestyle dance, time, center of motion, fluidity, form and meaning

Abstract: The article is devoted to studying Vasily Sakhnovsky's intepretation of Alexander Ostrovsky's playwriting. Artistic legacy of a theatre director, theorist and teacher Vasily Saknovsky who had been on the periphery of theatrical science until recently is a rather broad cultural issue. The research of theoretical works written by Sakhnovsky about Ostrovsky and his speeches made during meetings of the theatrical section of the Russian Academy of Sciences as well as analysis of Sakhnovsky's performances do not only extend our idea for Ostrovsky's playwriting but also reveal a number of important features of Sakhnovsky's directing method. The object of the research is Vasily Sakhnovsky's interpretation of Alexander Ostrovsky's plays. The following several subjects of the research should be stressed out: Vasily Sakhnovsky's work 'The Theatre of Alexander Ostrovsky', his speech devoted to the discussion of Vsevelod Meyerhold's play 'The Forest' and his theatrical interpretation of the play 'The Thunderstorm' at Moscow Drama Theatre. In the course of her research Mikhailova has used the contextual, historical-cultural, comparative and theatrical analysis. The researcher has made the following conclusions based on the results of the research: in his interpretation of Ostrovsky's plays, Sakhnovsky adopted the views of Apollon Grigoriev who saw Ostrovsky as the founder of the first national Russian theatre. Through analyzing Sakhnovsky's performance of 'The Thunderstorm' and his attitude to Meyerhold's theatrical experiments, the researcher reveals why Sakhnovsky was so poorly appreciated by the social and cultural communities of the 20's. 

Keywords: interpretation, creative method, Vsevelod Meyerhold, dramaturgy, directing, soviet theatre, Alexander Ostrovsky, Vasily Sakhnovsky, Moscow Drama Theatre, theatrical performance