The concept of syncretism is opposed to fragmentation, separateness, discreteness. This term comes from the Greek συγκρητισμό, the meaning-forming prefix syn- means connection, articulation of various elements, systems, teachings, phenomena. Appeared in scientific use in the Middle Ages, the concept of "syncretism" is widely used in art history, literary criticism, the history of culture and religion.
Syncretism in history and cultural studies
It is generally accepted that syncretism is characteristic of social attitudes, religious beliefs, cultural and artistic systems at an early stage of their development. So, primitive societies are characterized by the idea of the world as a single whole, all the elements of which are interconnected. In traditional cultures, human society is a reflection of the sacred world (the kingdom of nature, spirits). In a broader sense, syncretism is synonymous with eclecticism, with this consideration syncretic was, for example, late Greek culture (during the Hellenistic period).
Syncretism in religion
At certain historical moments, at the level of individual social groups, the entire society and even the state, sometimes religious cults based on the combined elements of various beliefs dominate. For example, syncretic religions took place during the conquest of the New World, where the activities of Christian missionaries were intertwined with local cults. Some researchers argue that syncretism is characteristic of all religious teachings to one degree or another: for example, Christian doctrine absorbed the postulates of Judaism, certain elements of Greek and Roman cultures.
Syncretism in literary criticism
The most prominent Russian author who developed the concept of syncretism in art is A. N. Veselovsky. In his works on poetics, the researcher suggested that the styles of poetry, and poetry itself as such, did not appear sequentially one after another. Initially, there was a certain unified form of religious and cult practice in which singing and dancing played a significant role. From this rhythmic action, over time, various poetic genres crystallized (lyrics, drama, epic).
Syncretism in Psychology
Syncretism, that is, indivisibility of perception, is characteristic of children's thinking. As noted by psychologists of Western and Russian schools (J. Piaget, S. Claparede, L. Vygotsky and others), the child connects concepts and phenomena without sufficient grounds. He is inclined to find commonality among disparate things, while the alignment plays a much greater role for him than real genus-specific relations.