What historical consciousness do we need: on the methodology of approach and practice of use

The article deals with the problems connected with the analysis of the nature of historical consciousness and its social and cultural value. An attempt was made to clarify the conceptual system, used in the study of this subject in the research tradition. It is noted that the author's interest is focused around the question of the relationships between academic history and historical consciousness and historical consciousness and historical memory. It is shown that the question of the relationship between academic history and historical consciousness is determined by the nature of tasks, namely the context of determining the limits of historical consciousness. The solution of the problem of the relationship between historical consciousness and historical memory depends on the acceptance of certain philosophical positions on the nature of knowledge in general. If we assume that the historical (and any other) fact does not depend on theoretical preconditions, the distinction of historical memory and historical consciousness retains value. The memory can then be interpreted as a repository of facts, and historical consciousness - as a set of methods of their interpretation. If we accept the position that the historical facts are caused by the theoretical preconditions, giving distinction between them becomes meaningless. On the basis of the analysis of works of J. Assmann, P. Thompson, P. Nora it is shown that concept «historical memory» can keep the value in the contexts of comparison of oral and written history, continuity and gaps in conveying historical tradition, spontaneity of emergence or artificiality of formation of historical consciousness. It is shown that if we recognize that our ideas of the past are conditioned by conceptual schemes, it allows us to treat the historical consciousness, above all, as a set of ways of understanding of the past, not as a mere sum of remembered facts. On the basis of the analysis of works of J. Rusen perspectives of defining the cultural value of historical consciousness are outlined. As a methodological basis J. Rusen's idea of the role of traumatic experiences in the formation of heuristic forms of historical consciousness is used. It is shown that the effectiveness of historical consciousness should be associated with its ability to overcome ideologization and mythologization the past. This possibility is seen in understanding of the past as historical experience. An interpretation of the concept of "historical experience" is offered. It is shown that the interpretation of the past as an experience is its description as a clash of goals and objectives put by the historical actors without foreseeing the circumstances and, naturally, the finale is uncertain for them.

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