Т. 1. «Азия и Африка: Наследие и современность»

372 Азия и Африка: Наследие и современность. Т. 1 XI. Круглый стол: «Традиционализм и Восток» Round table discussion: “Traditionalism and Orient” Ogut Eker Refia Gulin (Hacettepe University, Ankara, Turkey) Are traditions and modernity the conflicting value systems? Traditions of Re-Contextualized Modern Life Are traditions sacred while modern science and philosophical movements are profane and objective? In the 21st century modernity is considered the dominant power and the only one being valid, while tradition is often perceived as archaic and anachronistic. Starting from this idea emerged in social sciences, the article discusses the place of tradition in the perception of modernity and questioning its mission to make sense of the person’s life. In the discussions based on the dichotomy of tradition and modernity, the idea of tradition’s inability to meet human needs and expectations is a common prejudice, especially popular when it comes to the Eastern and Islamic societies. On the other hand, purely traditional practices are being kept alive in the Western societies, and in this respect the example of the Queen’s Day Festival in the Netherlands is very telling. In the present paper, from the point of the role based on needs of “believing“ and “attributing meaning“ that myth plays in culture, the American Rodeo Festival will be considered as a “Modern Age myth“ in which people want to live, thus the chief actor of the rodeo, “cowboy“, will be viewed as a mythological hero. The paper will show that the Netherlands’ Queen’s Day Festival and Rodeo Festival, which will be analyzed through the Functional Folklore Theory, shape the modern world by transforming “tradition“ into a cultural product that serves the need of ontological security. In conclusion, an argument will be made that the Western mentality considers that basing its past and future on tradition contributes to their richness and value, and