Historical and Cultural Aspects in the Research of a Traditional Rag Doll
The article represents a multiple analysis of a traditional rag doll in historical and cultural research. The interest to a toy studying as a potential resource in educational purposes started to form in the second half of 19th century. Different researchers considered the rag doll as an ethnographic source, which is mainly common to folk culture. The article notes that the rag doll became so popular that overstepped the bounds of using it in peasant families. It makes it special for Russian culture. We reviewed the most popular types of rag doll, which were common in a specific children’s age, moreover, their semantic and symbolic explanations are given in the article. The article reveals rag doll features based on the analysis of ethnographical and memorial sources. The author highlights the universality, multi-functionality of a rag doll, which is popular among teachers and art critics, and the increasing scientific interest to its phenomenon in latest research practices.