Modernizatsiia tabu: voprosy “chistoty” v gorodskoi srede (na primere synskikh khantov)

Abstract

A substantial part of taboos in the Khant culture is related to the concept of purity which still retains its actuality in the context of swift cultural changes. The author intends to show the vitality of this important concept, drawing on ethnographic and linguistic data collected among the Khant (mostly the Synia Khant). Special attention is paid to the ways in which the concept manifests itself in the context of contemporary urban modernization and development. The article is part of a larger project (OTKA PD-83284) on the study of the notion of purity among the Synia Khant.