CONCEPTUAL FOUNDATIONS OF THE THEORY OF LOCAL CIVILIZATIONS OF N.YA. DANILEVSKIY
The article examines the contribution of N. Ya. Danilevsky to the theory of local civilizations. His merit is that he formulated and proved the main principles and patterns governing the processes of formation, development and decline of local civilizations. Talented scientist developed such categories of social cognition as a cultural-historical type, civilization, progress, cyclicality, stagnation, and distinctive identity. He presented the idea of the importance of the human factor in the civilization process. Danilevsky reconcidered the question of Russia's role in world history, which many researchers had viewed as a backward country, the periphery of Europe, but not as a civilization. Conceptual foundations of the theory of local civilizations, developed by N. Ya. Danilevsky in the second half of the nineteenth century, indicated the scientist’s rejection of a Eurocentric model of development of world history.