Club as an object of culturological analysis

The main aspect that is analyzed in the article is the variety of possible interpretations of а club and club activities, which does not contribute to the clarity of the idea of the club as a sociocultural institution. The analysis also exposes current misconception associated with the fact that socialism offered to clubs most favorable environment for the development, and the classics of Marxism developed the category of free time and organized forms of workers' unification so thoroughly that the current theorists of culture and those who are carrying out cultural activities in the sphere of free time, can add nothing to the understanding of clubs. Therefore, it seems that the call "back to the USSR" turns out to be the best option for achieving an ideal organized form of leisure, which includes clubs. In the article, based on the analysis of primary sources, in which categories of the necessary and free time are analyzed was proved that not all the Marxists’ ideas are applicable to characterization of clubs’ activities in the modern Russia.