Pseudomorphosis as a form of intercultural interaction: based on “The decline of the West” by O. Spengler

Abstract

The article is devoted to “pseudomorphosis” as a form of intercultural interaction, expressed in the penetration of the phenomena of one culture into the space of another, followed by the replacement of its content and filling out the form. Introduced by O. Spengler, this term and its semantic component, by analogy with “pseudomorphosis” in mineralogy, were justified by the scientist on two historical-cultural examples. The text attempts to develop the provisions of Spengler in relation to the understanding of the nature of pseudomorphosis in culture. The definition of pseudomorphosis given by the German scientist is analyzed and refined, its translation into Russian is corrected. In a broad sense, pseudomorphosis is defined as the process and result of the penetration of the phenomena of some cultures into others, followed by filling the space of host cultures with foreign content and reducing their uniqueness and originality, until their complete loss. Besides that, this process includes the distortion of the phenomena of penetrating cultures, which, being in a different environment, are refracted so that they cease to correspond to the nature of the culture that gave rise to them. The question of heuristic significance of analogies with natural processes used in research of historical and cultural reality is considered. This aspect is supported by such examples as the organicism of Gerder, Goethe and N.Y. Danilevsky; cyclic views of many researchers, which are justified at the level of cycles underlying natural processes; “diffusionism” in the study of intercultural interactions; evolutionism in historical and cultural studies; synergetic interpretations of culture and its dynamics. Starting from the analogies of Spengler, fixed by him at the level of the natural science, the various forms and scales of pseudomorphosis in culture are identified: “monocultural” and “multicultural”; “full” and “partial”; pseudomorphs of “vesting”, “substitution” or “displacement”; “negative” and “aggregative”. Historical-cultural examples of this phenomenon are given at the level of the spread of Greek, Roman, European and globalization influence on other cultures. In addition, examples of distortion of cultural phenomena that exist in a different environment, themselves refracted so that no longer correspond to the nature of the culture that gave rise to them, are touched upon. In this case, the example is the refraction of the Egyptian, Chinese, and, in general, Eastern cultures in the Western European cultural space. Besides, there are other examples. The problem of the relationship of monologue, pseudomorphosis and dialogue in intercultural interactions is posed.