Based on the example of the analysis of social and cultural processes the article shows epistemic opportunities of the frontier theory proposed by F.J. Turner and received further development in foreign and Russian researches. The authors of the article assess current state of the frontier theory and compare different versions of the frontier typology. A special attention is paid to a new typology earlier proposed by O.S. Yakushenkova, S.N. Yakushenkov and A.P. Romanova. This typology – early frontier, frontier, postfrontier and refrontier – was applied to the analysis of the Caucasian frontier change dynamics. The study resulted in revelation of new methodological opportunities of this typology allowing to analyze frontier not as complete historical phenomenon but as ongoing, dynamically changing social and cultural process. It makes possible to understand better the character of modern conflicts and confrontations of the main Caucasian frontier actors and to predict further development of intercultural communications in this region. This typology can be also applied to study other regions.

Based on the example of the analysis of social and cultural processes the article shows epistemic opportunities of the frontier theory proposed by F.J. Turner and received further development in foreign and Russian researches. The authors of the article assess current state of the frontier theory and compare different versions of the frontier typology. A special attention is paid to a new typology earlier proposed by O.S. Yakushenkova, S.N. Yakushenkov and A.P. Romanova. This typology – early frontier, frontier, postfrontier and refrontier – was applied to the analysis of the Caucasian frontier change dynamics. The study resulted in revelation of new methodological opportunities of this typology allowing to analyze frontier not as complete historical phenomenon but as ongoing, dynamically changing social and cultural process. It makes possible to understand better the character of modern conflicts and confrontations of the main Caucasian frontier actors and to predict further development of intercultural communications in this region. This typology can be also applied to study other regions.