Ethno-traditional souvenir in mass culture

The article is devoted to the industry of souvenirs, reflecting the traditional aspects of cultures of different ethnic groups, which occupies a special place in the space of mass culture. The text touches upon the issues of etymology and general characteristics of souvenirs as a kind of reminders of the past and spatially remote places. The connections of ethno-traditional souvenirs with cultural heritage and its architectonic processes are designated. Positive, negative and inconsistent aspects of the reporting industry are analyzed. Various aspects of the production of souvenirs, designed for different ways of perception (as tactile, visual image, taste, smell, sound) are presented. The processes of substitution of authorship, the use of authentic materials displaced by their modern analogues, as well as the issues of compliance with technologies are touched upon. Transformations of ethno-souvenir products are analyzed in the context of the needs and tastes of the masses, as well as common stereotypes and prejudices. The text contains examples of unsuccessful transformations of ethnic souvenirs. The processes of changing of the forms and content of souvenirs that do not destroy their semantic space and connection with traditions in the context of cultural and genetic transformations are analyzed separately. The problem of developing culture-creating strategies in the presented industry, which has high «humanitarian and technological» potential, as well as the issue of training competent professionals capable of implementing them is posed. On the basis of the above material the direction for the development of cultural expertise is fixed.