The next scientific seminar was held at the Institute of Information Technologies of the Ministry of Science and Education. At the seminar the report on the topic “Protection and re-actualization of national identity in the context of digital transformations: Digital Novruz bonfire”, prepared within the framework of joint scientific cooperation between the Institute of Folklore of ANAS and the Institute of Information Technologies were made.

Speaking at the scientific seminar, Academician Rasim Aliguliyev, Vice-President of ANAS, Director General of the Institute of Information Technologies noted that digital transformation was rapidly penetrating all areas of society and virtualization processes were also affecting national traditions and ceremonies.

Stating that the processes of folklorization taking place in the Internet environment were closely related to changes taking place on both a national and global scale, the scientist said that the rapid development of artificial intelligence technologies, especially in recent years, had paved the way for revolutionary innovations, and that these processes have created new opportunities in terms of studying cultural heritage.

Then Director of the Institute of Folklore of ANAS, Doctor of Sciences in Philology Hikmat Guliyev made a report dedicated to the issues of protecting national and spiritual values against the backdrop of modern technological challenges. The speaker studied the conceptual framework of the Novruz holiday, especially the Novruz bonfire, as a clear example of national traditions and ceremonies, its new functional models in modern conditions.

Drawing attention to the mutual relationships between technological transformations and folklore, the scientist noted that scientific and technological progress and information revolutions have created epochal changes, socio-demographic processes have radically transformed the socio-cultural environment, and as a result of the mutual influence of these processes, new channels for the expression of folk knowledge have emerged.

Speaking about the new tasks facing folklore studies, the speaker highlighted the importance of investigating ways to preserve national identity in the digital environment, developing models for re-actualizing resources that carry national and spiritual values, adapting traditional behavior and worldview to the new social lifestyle, and at the same time, determining the theoretical and applied foundations for the transformation of traditional cultural creativity into digital platforms.

The speaker also touched on the social and mythological functions of the bonfire, one of the main attributes of the Novruz holiday. He noted that although the bonfire acts as a symbol of purification, renewal and social unity in the collective cultural memory, it is accompanied by fire safety, environmental and other risks in modern urban and rural environments.

The extensive discussions were held around the report and questions were answered.