Folklore as a collective identity and wow-factor: socio-cultural analysis

The article regards folk culture as a complex phenomenon which becomes a field of power relations. Various social, cultural and political contexts are reviewed, where the revival of folk culture takes place which can be used to integrate or can be a counterargument of social and political identification. Specific to each of the contexts valuable and symbolic and structural characteristics are analyzed. Aspects of commodification and professionalization of folk artists are considered in the article along with the concepts of sociology of professions and interviews with authentic singers and experts in folklore. Interest in folk culture dates back to the tradition of Romanticism of early 19 century - a movement of intellectuals against classical thinking and values of the Enlightenment. Representatives of this movement, scholars and writers, had collected a variety of data which showed a rich and integrity content of "folk" culture as important characteristics of life and views of different groups and communities as opposed to the "high" culture. The other and close to the Romanticism source of interest to folklore is nationalism, which arose as an ideology movement in the 18 century and had ambivalent consequences. Efforts of political, intellectual and cultural elites created and implemented new symbols in accordance to which each person had to associate themselves with the nation. Folklore shifted from folk culture and transformed into high. Symbols of national unity acquired market interest. Being a profitable product, they are easily duplicated and sold, thus becoming even more common. In times of acute social situations local languages and folklore were back on the agenda, used by leaders of the movements to improve the cohesion of the group against the dominant system of values. The popularity of folk music began to grow rapidly in the 1960s in the USA due to the counter-cultural movements preaching values of anti-consumerism as opposed to postwar conformism and values of mass market. With the growth of professionalization of folk music its definition as non-profit and amateur performance was already irrelevant. Methods of resistance to mainstream culture were based on consumption. In the Soviet times, "folk" was used and controlled, produced by government policy and institutions, while since 1960s and especially 1980s there was raising interest in popular culture "from below" - as a reaction to the dominance of technocracy and authoritarianism. Professionalism of folk artists was based on their interaction with folklorists and the authorities in the Soviet era, and in the post-Soviet period these processes are enhanced. In some cases, more or less successful industry of native folk culture was established with the help of business, and it acquires the features of mass culture howling through the mechanisms of marketization. So it becomes a national symbol, while cultural industries make this symbol a part of commodified media strategy in an effort to attract the mass consumers. Falling into public space, folk artists find a new social role - "media of folklore", as well as professionalize according to the laws of the cultural policy and cultural industries. They are striving to emphasize the uniqueness, their own or their team, develop an image which is supposed to become a brand. Processes of professionalization and commercialization do not allow the authentic folklore to take a strong position on the market of audience tastes yet. Successful marketing projects of promotion of the folk performers, position authenticity as an exotic and enhanced stylistic eclecticism.

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