Preservation of the Alanian cultural heritage in the context of globalization

Kochieva Alana Akhsarovna ORCID: 0000-0003-4338-3593 Postgraduate student, Department of Philosophy named after A. F. Shishkin, Moscow State Institute of International Relations of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Russian Federation 76 Prospekt Vernadskogo str., Moscow, 119454, Russia kochieva.a.a@my.mgimo.ru

Biryukov Nikolai Ivanovich ORCID: 0000-0003-3392-0789 PhD in Philosophy Associate Professor, Department of Philosophy named after A.F. Shishkin, Moscow State Institute of International Relations of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Russian Federation 76 Prospekt Vernadskogo str., Moscow, 119454, Russia nibiryukov@yandex.ru

 "Culture is the shrines of the people, the shrines of the nation"

academician D.S. Likhachev

Culture and cultural values form the fabric of people's life, through them each nation acquires a historical existence in a long chain of successive generations.

Culture is such a specific and essential characteristic of a people that it is quite possible to assert that a people remains a people as long as its culture is preserved in its historically formed originality ^{[1, p. 29]}. Cultural heritage becomes a link between bygone eras and modernity, a testimony to the achievements of ancestors preserved and multiplied by new generations.

The culture of the Ossetian people – direct descendants of the Scythian-Sarmatian-Alans who lived on the vast territory of the Eurasian continent for many centuries – has made a significant contribution to the treasury of world civilization. Numerous ancient monuments, archaeological finds found in the Eurasian space from modern Hungary to China, a rich epic, traditions, national cuisine and a unique language, borrowings from which continue to exist in modern languages, indicate that the Alan tradition is a clear example of two thousand years of continuity of the destinies of the peoples of the East and West. The cultural heritage of each nation is the heritage of all mankind, and its preservation is a task for living and future generations.

In the context of globalization – with the constant blurring of borders between ethnic groups and entire nations – there is a risk of creating a unified appearance of the planet. This is realized by scientists, politicians and UNESCO experts who believe that the preservation of cultural diversity is one of the important strategic goals, without which it is impossible to talk about the development of all mankind and universal progress.

Some theoretical approaches to defining the concept of "cultural heritage" and understanding the impact of globalization on national culturesThe greatest Russian culturologist D.S. Likhachev defined the main components of culture, which is the basis of national development: language, writing and art forms – painting, music and others ^{[1, p. 29]}.

The academician noted that culture is an integral, organic phenomenon, a sacred space of a person, a people or even humanity. Moreover, integrity is one of the most important aspects. "It seems to me necessary," the researcher wrote, "to consider culture as a certain space, a sacred field, from which it is impossible, as in a game of biryulki, to remove one part without moving the rest. The general decline of culture necessarily occurs with the loss of any one part of it" ^{[1, p. 23]}. This statement emphasizes the importance not only of preserving culture as such, but also the need to preserve all its components. The result of the existence of peoples' cultures in the present is the emergence of cultural heritage, without which neither the process of preserving the traditional way of life of the people nor the formation of the world culture of mankind would be impossible.

To understand the essence of cultural heritage and identify its main components, it is necessary to refer to the fundamental international documents of UNESCO. The Convention on the Protection of the World Cultural and Natural Heritage, by "cultural heritage" means monuments, ensembles, places of interest that are of outstanding universal value from the point of view of history, anthropology, ethnology or aesthetics ^[2]. Another important document is the Convention on the Protection of Intangible Cultural Heritage, which regulates the protection of traditional culture in the context of globalization, which provides the following definition of intangible cultural heritage: customs, forms of representation and expression, knowledge and skills – as well as related tools, objects, artifacts and cultural spaces – recognized by communities, groups and, in some cases, by individuals as part of their cultural heritage^[3].

These documents indicate the important components of the objects of human activity and creativity, on the basis of which it is possible to attribute the subject, the result of labor, creativity or phenomenon to the cultural heritage.

According to Doctor of Cultural Studies K.E. Rybak, cultural heritage includes objects of material culture and joint creations of nature and man, as well as objects of spiritual culture, which are important for the preservation and development of local cultures that promote human creativity and tolerance of cultural diversity ^{[4, pp. 4-7]}.

In addition to defining the concepts of "culture" and "cultural heritage", as well as defining the types of heritage, it is also necessary to turn to theoretical provisions considering the impact of globalization on culture as a whole. It should be noted that the impact of globalization on culture cannot be characterized unambiguously positively or unambiguously negatively. On the one hand, in the context of globalization, national cultures are undergoing significant changes, often leading to their decline. Under the influence of this process, the standards of Western mass culture are widely spread, which is expressed in the erosion of traditional cultural norms and values, as a result of which a unified appearance of the planet is formed ^{[5, p. 31]}. Moreover, globalization implies a change in the context of the construction of meaning, changes in identity, sense of place, general ideas, values, aspirations, myths, hopes and fears ^{[6, pp. 11-14]}. Thus, the rapidly changing "world without borders" often leads to the loss of the features of their way of life by the peoples-carriers of a certain culture, the voluntary rejection of traditions in the name of adopting a new global identity. Ethnic groups cannot "open up", showing the fullness of their cultural wealth, and lose their diversity ^[7]. Traditions are perceived as a relic of the past, and representatives of previously different national groups unite into a single, homogeneous whole, within which there are few traces of the former cultural diversity.

On the other hand, even in the conditions of globalization, culture is of extreme importance: individual individuals, ethnic groups and languages form the whole world culture and civilization with all its diversity ^{[8, pp. 38-43]}. The formation of a global world involves not only unilateral unification of culture, but also continuous cultural exchange. In this sense, cultures are extremely important – when creating additional opportunities for the exchange of cultural experience, they become a kind of outpost for resisting the expansion of Western culture, in connection with which diversity and diversity are preserved in an interconnected world. Moreover, it is culture that, as a result of the processes of globalization, has become a conductor of the political interests of states and an important practical expression of international cooperation ^{[9, p. 162]}. For this reason, globalization is not a guarantee of the unambiguous disappearance or unambiguous flourishing of any culture, but leads to its transformation and modification, as it involves the intensification of the exchange of cultural experience. So, it is possible to note the existence of some "intermediate" forms that have arisen as a result of such an exchange. These include hybridization and mixing of cultures – the appearance of intermediate, "mixed" forms that incorporate the features of all cultures participating in the exchange. Such processes are an optional consequence of globalization, since similar phenomena are observed during long-term close interaction of cultures, in particular, when different national groups live on the same territory. However, globalization accelerates the processes of mixing national and local cultures, and therefore can be a serious challenge for them. Correlating these theses with Likhachev's idea of the integrity of culture as a phenomenon, it can be noted that the mixing of cultures is invariably expressed in the loss of certain features or components, which can pose a danger to the identity of cultural carriers, eventually leading to their complete disappearance.

Thus, globalization and the accompanying acceleration of the processes taking place in the world, as well as the processes of information exchange, require the use of new approaches in preserving the cultural identity of individual ethnic groups and multiplying their contribution to world culture. In the conditions of a "world without borders", it makes no sense to protect individual peoples from the influence of other cultures or in any way limit the ongoing cultural exchange, but approaches are needed that allow preserving the uniqueness of national culture both for its bearers and for other peoples. Preserving the identity of the carriers will allow, on the one hand, to put the mixing of cultures and assimilation of their representatives with other peoples into the framework, and on the other hand, to integrate into the global world "without borders", in which cultural exchange takes place.

Cultural heritage of Ossetians: objects and significanceThe history of the Ossetian people is full of numerous events, complex political conflicts, active cultural ties with many peoples of Asia and Europe.

Being the heirs of the Scythian-Sarmatian-Alanian culture, Ossetians, now living in the heart of the Caucasus, got not only the language and many ancient customs, folklore images and plots, mythology, but also mysterious mausoleums, medieval watchtowers and thousand-year-old temples.

In the conditions of continuous changes in the political map of the world, Ossetia was divided into South and North. Currently, South Ossetia, which has been recognized by five UN member states, is a partially recognized country, and North Ossetia-Alania is a subject of the Russian Federation. Despite the political borders, the Ossetian people have the same culture, language, traditions and customs.

The ancient Alan culture has left a rich intangible and material cultural heritage. The Nart epic, dances, folk music and instruments, cuisine, traditional beliefs, historical legends and legends, the Ossetian language – this is what modern Ossetia can give to the world for the multiplication of the culture of all mankind.

The pinnacle of the national culture of Scythian antiquity and the Alan Middle Ages is the world-famous Nart epic, in which the life, social structure, history and traditions of the ancestors of Ossetians are reflected in picturesque colors. The outstanding French scientist Georges Dumezil, who made a huge contribution to the study of the genesis of the legends about the sleds, justifies the direct continuity of the epic tradition from the Herodotus Scythians to modern Ossetians ^[10]. The Nart epic is a treasure trove of ancient Ossetian culture, an encyclopedia of images that has preserved the national memory of the heroes of the nart and the events of the past.

Alanya is also rich in other types of intangible heritage: Ossetian pies and intoxicating drink, which have a high sacred significance in the complex of ritual food of Ossetians; traditional dances - simd, honga, chepena, tsoppai. As noted by the great French choreographer Serge Lifar, only one dance masterpiece can determine the high culture of the people to whom this dance festival belongs.

The most important monument of Ossetian intangible culture is also an ancient language belonging to the Iranian group of the Indo-European family and left traces in many languages of Eurasia. Georges Dumezil noted that Ossetians have preserved to this day not only the language as a form bearing a certain cultural content, but also this content itself, which reflected the state of the Scythian civilization at the last stages of its development ^{[11, p. 7-11]}. To date, the Ossetian language has been included by UNESCO in the "Atlas of Endangered Languages of the World" ^[12].

In addition to the wealth of intangible culture, a large number of objects of material heritage are also located on the Alan land.

To date, there are 657 objects of cultural heritage of federal and regional significance and 1,308 identified objects on the territory of the Republic of North Ossetia –Alania. One of the most famous and important objects of historical and cultural heritage is the Dargava necropolis of crypt burials, the appearance of which dates back to the VII – X centuries AD. The shrines of Rekom, Tarangelos and Mykkalgabyrta are also known, which are mentioned in the Nart epic as the three tears of God.  Family watchtowers and defensive towers, burial mounds and catacomb burial grounds of the Koban culture, archaeological and architectural monuments are located in the Tseysky, Kurtatinsky, Digorsky and Mamison gorges.

There are more than one and a half thousand objects of historical and cultural heritage on the territory of South Ossetia - monuments of medieval architecture that have not yet been explored. These include ancient watchtowers, fortresses and temples of different periods: the Tirsky Monastery – a monastery complex of the XII-XVI centuries. the heyday of the Alan Metropolis; "Zyldy m?sig" - a defensive fortification that served as a refuge for the whole society during the invasion of enemies; "Edge of Towers" - tower complexes of the XVI-XVII centuries. villages of Erman, Cheliat and Brytat of Dzau district; "Ikortsky Temple of the Most Holy Theotokos" of the XII century, which is one of the most beautifully decorated religious buildings of the Christian era of Transcaucasia; the archaeological complex Kudaro; Tliysky and Kel burial grounds; the Palace-castle of the Ksan eristavs in Leningor district and others ^{[13, pp. 71-75]}.

In addition, the Ossetian land has unique natural landscape complexes, including the highest waterfalls in Europe - the Midagraba waterfalls in North Ossetia, and in South Ossetia - the "ghost lake" Erzo and the largest Kelsky Lake, located on a volcanic plateau in the crater of an extinct volcano.

Summing up the review, it is fair to say that both North and South Ossetia have a rich cultural and natural heritage, the loss of which would be irreparable for the entire world culture. Many cultural and historical monuments and "folk and traditional forms of cultural expression" deserve to be included in the global treasury of UNESCO World Heritage.

On measures and problems of preserving the cultural heritage of the Ossetian people in the context of globalizationSince the mixing of cultures in the course of this study is cited as one of the most serious risks, it must be said that the Ossetian culture is a good example of preserving identity in conditions of intensive cultural exchange.

Its bearers are in constant interaction with the cultures of the peoples of the Caucasus, as well as with Russian culture. The influence of the latter is quite high: through Russian culture, the Ossetian people gained access to science, education, law and civil institutions ^{[14, pp. 104-107]}. Such cultural interaction inevitably leads to cultural transformation, however, it should be noted that the close interaction of Ossetian culture with Russian does not lead to unification and mixing of culture.

As noted by a prominent researcher of Ossetian culture R. Bzarov, conservatism has become an important factor in preserving Ossetian identity and preventing further mixing of culture ^[15]. However, the protection of cultural heritage, traditionally an integral part of national identity, meets administrative and political obstacles in its path. The loss of cultural heritage – tangible and intangible – can lead to the blurring of the cultural identity of Ossetians, which will increase the negative effects of globalization. Let us note the current practices of preserving the cultural heritage and traditions of the Ossetian people.

The separation of the state border creates certain difficulties when considering the existing set of measures for the preservation of Ossetian culture. It is necessary to consider the measures taken by each of the territorial units aimed at protecting the heritage. The main body responsible for the protection of the cultural heritage of the Republic of North Ossetia – Alania is the Committee for the Protection and Use of Cultural Heritage Objects. Cultural heritage objects, in turn, are divided into objects of federal and regional significance. Regular monitoring is carried out to identify new objects. As a constituent entity of the Russian Federation, RSO-Alania has the opportunity to participate in federal programs, competitions and grant programs.

The situation is more complicated with the protection of cultural heritage in the Republic of South Ossetia.  A number of factors play a role here, including the status of a partially recognized State. A considerable part of the cultural heritage of the republic was significantly damaged during the military actions unleashed by the Georgian authorities. The protection of cultural heritage is under the jurisdiction of the Ministry of Culture of the Republic of South Ossetia, which conducts research on cultural values, issues laws on the protection of cultural heritage and maintains a state register. However, despite the fact that at the moment a regulatory framework has been created in South Ossetia, fundamental documents and laws have been developed regarding the protection of cultural heritage, many objects They are in a catastrophic situation due to isolation and Georgian pressure, lack of financial resources and resources to support them, lack of opportunities for professional development and training of personnel in specialized international organizations.  

Due to the processes of globalization, culture has become an important practical expression of international cooperation, and international organizations, in particular UNESCO, play a significant role in this context ^{[9, p. 162]}. In 2003, the former Director General of UNESCO Koichiro Matsuura came to North Ossetia–Alania with a program to promote the development of culture, and already in 2005 an agreement was signed on the establishment of a UNESCO chair at the North Ossetian Pedagogical Institute, whose main task is to support the development of languages of small peoples as a mechanism for preserving the linguistic diversity of mankind. This activity is particularly important because, as noted earlier, it is the cultures of small nations that are the most vulnerable and susceptible to assimilation. The RSO-Alania authorities are cooperating with the organization, initiatives are being put forward, in 2019, the head of the UNESCO International Geosciences and Geoparks Program, Christoph Vandenberg, made a proposal to create the first geopark in the North Caucasus. He stressed that the UNESCO status object itself guarantees quality and contributes to the influx of tourists and economic development.

In the case of South Ossetia, the possibilities of cooperation with international organizations are significantly limited due to the disputed status. It should be borne in mind that the August 2008 events caused irreparable damage, led to irreparable loss of human lives and destruction of the historical heritage of the people of South Ossetia. In accordance with the fundamental documents in the field of protection of cultural heritage, such as the Hague Convention of 1954 "On the Protection of Cultural Property in the Event of Armed Conflict", the UNESCO Declaration of 2003, according to which "damage caused to the cultural values of each nation is damage to the cultural heritage of all mankind, since each nation contributes to the world culture", it is necessary to analyze the preservation and make appropriate decisions for the cultural monuments of the region, without taking into account territorial affiliation. However, the policy peculiar to the Georgian Government serves as a stumbling block for assisting in the organization of the UNESCO mission to South Ossetia. But it is UNESCO, being a constructive and useful platform for interaction in the name of peace and harmony between peoples, that can help prevent conflict and promote peace-building in the Caucasus region.

  Summing up the research, it can be noted that the Ossetian culture is successfully preserved in the conditions of globalization, and the ongoing transformations do not lead to a complete loss of language, traditional beliefs or customs. One of the successful practices for the preservation of culture and the Ossetian language is the creation of a UNESCO chair at the North Ossetian State Pedagogical Institute. It is worth emphasizing that the UNESCO Chair, relying on its many years of experience and acting as a link between Ossetia and UNESCO, needs to more actively hold scientific and educational conferences on international platforms in order to present Ossetian culture to the world community, acquaint citizens of other countries with the history and traditions of the people, create strong partnerships and use all the tools of cultural diplomacy.

An important role is played by the public initiative of the residents of the republic, who honor their traditions, culture and way of life. As noted earlier, the conservatism of Ossetians played an important role in preserving their identity.

The situation with the preservation of material cultural heritage is more complicated: if North Ossetia has the opportunity to attract funds from the federal budget of Russia and take part in programs at various levels, including international, then South Ossetia, on whose territory there are also unique objects of cultural heritage, is significantly limited in such opportunities. Here, the main risk for culture is precisely the loss of its important component – the complete destruction of monuments of material heritage will have a disastrous effect.

The most effective mechanism for protecting Ossetian culture and cultural heritage may be the creation of a cross-border organization, intergovernmental or non-governmental, aimed at implementing programs in divided Ossetia. In addition, it is important to ensure the representation of South Ossetia on international platforms in matters of preserving cultural heritage, since culture is above politics, and the extinction of any of the national cultures is an irreparable loss for the entire human civilization.

And at the same time, responsibility for the preservation of the Alan heritage mainly falls on modern Ossetia-Alania, the only one in the modern world that continues the linguistic and cultural tradition of the Scythians-Sarmatians-Alans ^[15].