Ethnocultural Features of the Modern Khakass Family

Abstract

Purpose. For identification of ethnocultural features of the modern Khakass family in the Republic of Khakassia we used empirical material, generalized on the basis of interviews and questionnaires. The object of the study is the culture of the ethnic group, the subject of the study is the ethnocultural features of the modern family. The article discusses the main components of the family from the perspective of material and spiritual foundations of the ethnic community. The author pays special attention to the objects belonging to the Khakass family material culture and describes elements that refer to modern processes and activities. The methodological basis of the study includes principles and categories of dialectics, methods of analysis and synthesis, systemic and structural analysis of social systems. The empirical base is the materials obtained by using included observation, in the process of expert interviews and analyzing questionnaires. Results. As a result of our research we conclude that the dynamics of ethnocultural foundation of the Khakass family in the early 21^st century, which includes elements of labor culture and daily life, develops intensively in the material culture. The spiritual basis of the ethnic group (its religious platform, traditions and customs, as well as the language) is being somewhat modernized due to new realia but is quite stable and experiences little transformation. Revitalization of cultural symbols is accompanied by decrease in the number of the Khakass language speakers but is also characterized by a desire for establishing a monolithic Khakass ethnic community on the basis of the Sagay-Kachinsky component. The author’s main contribution to the study of the topic is the study of modern cultural foundations of the family in the Khakass ethnic group. The novelty of the study refers to the regional component of the ethnocultural aspect in considering the Khakass family.