Keywords
cultural inheritance, traditional values, folk art, Orthodox worldview, Russian civilization, value-civilization approach,
How to Cite
Zakunov Y. A. Spiritual and philosophical foundations of Russian traditional handicrafts and the problems of cultural inheritance // The Art of Eurasia, 2026. № 3 (42). P. 82–101. URL: https://doi.org/10.46748/ARTEURAS.2026.03.004.
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International License.
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Abstract
The relevance of this topic lies in the problem of preserving folk-art traditions in contemporary Russia. Traditional handicrafts are losing their identity: their spiritual, moral, and stylistic substance is being eroded by commercialization and by a departmental affiliation that fails to reflect their role as a national cultural code. The scientific novelty of this study lies in examining the problems of traditional art through the prism of cultural and philosophical conceptual frameworks, as well as the relatively new field of scholarly research: cultural inheritance. The core concepts of ‘givenness’, ‘predeterminedness’, and ‘implementation’ make it possible to systematize the practice of cultural inheritance, bring relevance to its study, and demonstrate its universal character, as well as the possibility of defining its main components in their uniqueness (inseparability) and unity (inseparability) as applied to the field of artistic creativity. The article emphasizes the Orthodox foundations of Russian folk art, which determine the integrity of its inheritance and are linked to the spiritual, aesthetic, and moral constants that shape Russia’s civilizational identity and its fundamental foundations. The study identifies pressing methodological and practical problems associated with the further development of traditional handicrafts and outlines fundamental paths toward their resolution. It is crucial to preserve culture as a holistic process, the primary substance of which lies not so much in external indicators as in an individual’s assimilation and cultivation of an inner, grace-filled, spiritual-psychological-corporeal creative act. This act possesses a distinct national character and is capable of integrating all layers and aspects of both the inheritance of tradition and creative renewal. This enables Russian folk art, permeated by the divine energies of the Most Holy Trinity, to endure as cultural heritage, serving as a driving force for the transfiguration of society and the human being.
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