Stepping Out of Their Own Space: A Journey to Contemporary Ethnocultural Traditions

The living space of humans has always been determined by various borders, whether they are objective or subjective. In the history of especially European societies, geographical borders as combined with social order were the rule. Crossing these borders was principal for learning new cultures and mentalities. The more the horizons were opened and brought back new perceptions and understanding, the more the systems of traditional culture were weakened in the original environment, especially in rural areas. Traditional cultural manifestations were affected and transformed under the influence of mass culture; in the 19th and 20th centuries, they were also being "discovered, learnt, maintained, resurrected and even 'imagined'". Society evolved in opposite direction: various approaches to people's cultures and their folk traditions have been reflected in concepts such as the second existence of folk culture, folklorism, public culture, intangible cultural heritage and ethnocultural traditions. Each of these represents a different and specific view on folk traditions today, on their use and protection, on the conditions of studying the field and its tendencies of development.