The potential of visual culture in modern studies of ethnocultural identity

The purpose of this study is to identify the potential of visual culture in contemporary studies of ethnocultural identity. The author examines in detail visual images, which he considers not only as ways of representation of ethnocultural identity, but also as important mechanisms of its construction. At the same time, the potential of the so-called images of identity becomes especially important due to the fact that visual images play an increasingly important role in the modern globalized world. Understanding and using their potential becomes a key aspect in the study of ethnocultural identity today, when visual culture is a powerful tool for understanding how images reflect sociocultural realities and how they interact with a wide range of social and cultural processes, and the study of ethnocultural identity becomes especially relevant in the light of globalization and digitalization of modern society. The author uses visual studies as the main research methodology, where the unit of research is the image as a carrier of meanings and an active participant of sociocultural processes. The main conclusions of this study are the following: visual culture is a dynamic space where visual practices and images not only reflect, but also actively shape ethnocultural identity, contributing to the critical rethinking of cultural interactions. Images of ethnocultural identity may include not only signs and symbols that are decipherable when perceived by a representative of a particular ethnocultural group, but also meanings that have a special potential hidden in visual images. Images of ethnocultural identity create a unique visual impression that reflects and shapes the values and traditions of a certain ethnocultural group. The study of the role of the visual in the context of identity allows us to conclude that visual images play a key role in its research to date.