THE CULTURAL FACTORS IN INTERGROUP RELATIONS IN THE MODERN WORLD (ON THE EXAMPLE OF RELIGIOUS AND ETHNIC GROUPS)

Abstract

The problem of intergroup relations becomes very important nowadays. The cultural interactions of ethnic and religious groups are influenced by the processes of globalization and migration. Considering this problem philosophically is connected with the question of how a person determines his cultural identity. There is an opinion that the world develops on the basis of contradictions. However, globalization, along with positive functions, can generate new social conflicts and aggravate old ones. Cultural conflict as a type of social interaction can perform both positive and negative functions. Relations between religious groups deserve special attention. This type of intergroup relations is often characterized with conflicts. Many local religious conflicts have political reasons. A conflict may also arise between the state and a religious group. More than that, many new religious movements (NRMs) appear, and there is an open confrontation between the traditional religious confessions and the NRMs. The ethnic aspect of intergroup relations is also very topical. In this regard, the following paradox can be noted: the weakening of the ethnic properties of culture occurs simultaneously with the strengthening of ethnic self-consciousness. The number of ethnic groups, religions, and worldviews is rapidly increasing, and there is a transition from a homogeneous population to a pluralistic society. It can be concluded that the philosophical understanding of the processes of interaction between ethnic and religious groups is largely connected with the phenomenon of cultural self-identification. The way an individual identifies himself with this or that culture is determined by the context of intercultural interaction carried out between individuals. Depending on the situation of interindividual interaction, one or another person’s knowledge about him- or herself is actualized.