Journal of the Belarusian State University. Sociology
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The duality of civilisational rift: ecological impasse and anthropological alienation in the age of bifurcation
The article explores the profound interconnection between two key crises of our time: the ecological crisis and the anthropological crisis (the crisis of the human condition). This interconnection is revealed through a synthesis of the concept of global evolution and philosophical critique. It is argued that these crises are not autonomous but represent two sides of a single civilisational rift rooted in the dominance of instrumental rationality and an anthropocentric model of domination. The ecological crisis is interpreted as an external manifestation of the forgetfulness of the ontological foundations of the world, while the anthropological crisis is viewed as its internal consequence, expressed in a state of existential homelessness and ontological nihilism. As a philosophical response, the authors substantiate an evolutionary-humanistic strategy that proposes a path toward the simultaneous overcoming of two crises through the adoption of a biospheric imperative and the formation of existentially grounded responsibility.
Copyright (c) 2026 Journal of the Belarusian State University. Sociology https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0
Methodological problems of religious diversity research
This article is devoted to the analysis of the phenomenon of religious diversity as a subject of sociological research. It is shown that numerous theoretical and empirical studies of religious diversity in different countries have not been able to reach the level of analysis of the unique configuration of the general population of religious organisations operating on their territory. The significance of such an analysis for the sociology of religion is substantiated. The dependence of some areas of sociological analysis of religion on the successful study of the totality of different religious organisations that form the basis of religious diversity in the country is emphasised. A number of methodological problems arising from the empirical analysis of religious diversity and caused by the specifics of new religious movements are identified. Particular attention is paid to the analysis of problems in the area of conceptual apparatus, the organisation of the collection of relevant information on different information platforms and the identification of different types of new religious movements documents. Special attention is focused on the introduction into scientific circulation of information about previously unexplored new religious movements. It is shown that there is no provably effective methodology for studying religious diversity in the sociology of religion, but its development inevitably implies the resolution of most of the methodological problems described in the article. It is argued that the study of religious diversity belongs in the sociology of religion to the group of the most complex longitudinal studies with significant heuristic potential.
Copyright (c) 2022 Journal of the Belarusian State University. Sociology
Socio-cultural evolution of the urban environment as an object of sociological analysis
The current stage of development of the urban environment is characterised by an increase in the role of urban public space; activation of network interaction of citizens; strengthening the relationship between physical and digital in the urban environment. The criteria for the evolution of the socio-cultural environment of the city are the ratio of private and public in the urban environment; the ratio of vertical horizontal interaction of citizens, as well as the degree of adaptation of citizens to the technological transformation of the city.
How to measure educational environment of university?
The article is devoted to the issue of evaluating the educational environment of a higher educational institution. The issue is of actual character since an optimal educational environment is one of the conditions for training competitive and competent specialists. University educational environment is specific as it purposefully affects the future specialist’s professional and personal development, ensures his readiness for professional activity, successful fulfillment of social roles and self-realisation in the process of life. In the article the educational environment of university is considered from the viewpoint of a competency-based approach wherein the subject-subject relations (teacher-student activity), educational goals and learning outcomes are treated as elements of the educational environment. Due to the fact that there are a few native methods of evaluating the educational environment of university, the DREEM methodology (Dundee Ready Educational Environment Measure) developed by the University of Dundee (UK) in 1997 and actively used by foreign medical universities is suggested to consider. A valid tool for evaluation is the DREEM questionnaire with the aim to identify the strengths and weaknesses of the university educational environment. Although the DREEM questionnaire requires some adjustment in terms of taking into account the realities of the national system of higher education, fields of training and the like, wordings of its questions are quite universal that makes it possible to use the given toolkit to evaluate the educational environment of Belarusian higher educational institutions training specialists in various fields.
measure and evaluation of educational environment
DREEM (Dundee Ready Educational Environment Measure) questionnaire
«The creative turn» in European social theory
The article reveals specific features of contemporary European social theory within its turn to the nature of creative practices. Different socio-philosophical methods of their cognition are demonstrated. The explication of the character of European social theory as a whole outlines the increasing interest in the formation of a theory of creative society which critically grounds the set of political programmes «Creative Europe». The author defines the concept of the creative turn within a comparative analysis of those theories of contemporary society which explore the peculiarity of social reality constituting on the basis of creative economy. Its practices become a special subject matter of social theory revealing societal limitations of their fulfillment.
Copyright (c) 2021 Journal of the Belarusian State University. Sociology
Danger of cyberbullying and Internet dependence of teenagers: interrelations and properties
Cyberbullying is a form of violence through bullying, harassment, bullying, humiliation, intimidation carried out using the Internet, mobile phones and other electronic devices. Cyberbullying is very common in modern society and causes significant harm to its victims, negatively affecting their mental and physical health. The purpose of this study is to identify in the Russian-speaking society the connections and properties of insecurity from cyberbullying and Internet addiction. The article shows that vulnerability to cyberbullying of adolescents is positively associated with Internet addiction and negatively with life satisfaction, while in girls it is also positively associated with stress, anxiety and depression, a craving for smoking and negatively associated with self-efficacy in affairs. Internet addiction of adolescents is positively associated with anxiety, depression and stress and negatively with self-esteem, life satisfaction and self-efficacy in business relationships, and in girls – also with self-efficacy in interpersonal relationships. Internet addiction in girls is stronger than in young men associated with insecurity from cyberbullying, with stress, with a decrease in self-efficacy in business and in interpersonal relationships, therefore, for girls, Internet addiction and insecurity from cyberbullying is more likely than for boys, is fraught with negative consequences. The connection between academic performance and Internet addiction turned out to be statistically insignificant, which differs from the conclusions of a number of foreign psychologists who found that there is a negative correlation between Internet addiction and academic performance. A negative relationship between academic performance and smoking in girls and a positive relationship between academic performance and stress in boys and girls were revealed. Craving for smoking in girls positively correlates with stress. Most of the relationships established in this study in Russian-speaking society between insecurity from cyberbullying and Internet addiction on the one hand and anxiety, depression, stress, self-esteem, self-efficacy, life satisfaction, and craving for smoking are consonant with foreign results on the corresponding relationships of cyberbullying and Internet addiction.
Copyright (c) 2020 Journal of the Belarusian State University. Sociology
Academic deviations of educational communities in Russian universities
The article shows the relevance of the problem caused by the growth of academic deviations among the main educational communities of the university – students and research and teaching staff. The object of the study is various deviations in their behaviour, manifested in non-compliance with fundamental moral and legal norms and values governing relations in higher education. The purpose of the article is to analyse the relationship between academic deviations of students and the scientific and pedagogical community. The main results of the study are the characteristics of the concept, types, manifestations of academic deviations, as well as the consideration of their forms, typical for both students and teachers. The greatest attention is paid to the interpretation of academic fraud, imitations in the educational sphere and scientific research, simulacra of publication activity, ghostwriting, practices of «student savings», forms of delinquent behaviour. In conclusion, the ways of limiting the influence of deviations on the quality of academic achievements are considered.
imitations in the educational sphere and scientific research
Language as a phenomenon: Belarusian language in the context of diglossia
It is possible to talk about language from the point of view of a linguist, but language is also a sociocultural phenomenon, and its development takes place in a social and political context. This, of course, applies to any of the languages, however, in relation to the Belarusian language it acquires many specific aspects. First of all, this concerns the situation of bilingualism (and bilingualism as closely related), within which, under the influence of socio-political factors, languages acquire unequal status, as a result of which their hierarchy is built. The historical development of the Belarusian language (in its contextual relationship with Russian) demonstrates serious deformations that it had to endure in the course of its evolution.
Language of web: bynet discourse and Belarusian netspeak
It is proved that the modern Internet space creates a fundamentally new communication environment (social networks, chats, etc.), the capabilities of which, in turn, act as a trigger for linguistic transformations. It is the language of Internet communications that is today the field where new trends in language development are most actively formed. The functioning of the language in the network gives rise to a number of new phenomena. So, Internet discourse gives rise to such phenomena as massive abbreviations and an abundance of neologisms (including game ones), acronyms and backronyms, syngrahemics and supragrahemics, interlanguage hybrids, new tools for expressing subject-subject relations (formulas of politeness, for example) and many others. This poses new problems for both linguistics and philosophy of language. For example, it is shown that in the context of Internet communications, the classic dichotomy of verbal speech and written forms of language is blurred: on the one hand, in chats and forums, the language is formally represented by written texts, on the other – interactive dialogues actually set living one-time communication, which allows one to speak simultaneously, interrupt the interlocutor, respond immediately, etc., and all these are characteristic of verbal speech. It is concluded that if until now the main presenter of language in culture has clearly been fiction as embodying the established norm of the correct language, then today language practices (usus) come to the fore, reflecting the trends of linguistic evolution that are forming in the present continuous, that sets a new accentuation in modern culture, namely the prevalence of descriptive linguistics over prescriptive.
Methods of modelling of socio-economic phenomena – method of constructing multiple spirals and multimodal analysis
The article considers the methods of semiotic modelling (method of constructing multiple spirals, and multimodal analysis, etc.). The relevance of the use of these methods for the study of socio-economic phenomena is determined. Features of the use of these methods are described with help of two groups of key notions: a) the group of concept-variables of such concepts as code (genetic, iconic, information, cultural, memetic, social, civilisation, language), gene (biological, cultural, social, philosophic, economic), spiral (Archimedes, double, multiple, plane, spatial, triple, etc.); b) the group of concept-variables of such concepts as modalisation, modality, mode and multimodality. Differences between the methods under consideration are due not only to the different sets of concepts used to describe them, but also due to the main objects studied using these methods. So, as the main object of modeling using the method of constructing multiple spirals, various types of such complex signs as codes and genes are most often used. The objects of multimodal analysis are, as rule, macrolevel semiotic units (video, comic books, creolised and poly-code texts, posters, and other polymodal texts). The conclusion is substantiated that the method of constructing multiple spirals and multimodal analysis, together with the previously considered semiotic and chain analyses, form a single methodological system of social semiotics.
Small town in the border region of Russia: socio-cultural and socio-economic problems
The article analyses the main socio-economic and socio-cultural problems that hinder the development of small towns in the Russian border area. Based on qualitative data obtained during research in 2014–2021 in border regions of Russia, the main negative trends were identified, which, in the opinion of local residents, must be eliminated or reduced in the first place in order for a small town to survive. It is shown that most of the small towns in are in a depressed state, with high rates of depopulation. It is concluded that it is necessary to preserve them, since they are not only of cultural and historical value for the reproduction of socio-cultural potential, but also are important strategic territories that can withstand non-military threats and contribute to the preservation of the country’s integrity and its security.
Socio-psychological correlations of youth addiction on social networks
Addiction of boys and girls from social networks is associated with the presence of their feelings of loneliness, as well as anxiety, depression, stress, dissatisfaction with life, impulsivity, narcissism, weak assertiveness, low self-esteem, insecurity from cyberbullying. The purpose of this study is to test the hypothesis about the possible connections of the addiction of young people from social networks with their self-confidence, emotional intelligence and style of behaviour in conflict situations. The empirical study was based on the data of an online survey of 265 respondents, including 117 boys and 148 girls. Dependence on social networks was measured by the ZSS-15 questionnaire (V. P. Sheinov, A. S. Devitsyn), self-confidence – by the method of V. G. Romek, emotional intelligence – by the Thomas – Kilmann test, dependence on a smartphone – a short version of the SAS-16 of the questionnaire «Scale of dependence on a smartphone» (V. P. Sheinov). The article found that boys and girls have statistically significant negative associations of addiction from social networks with self-confidence and positive connections with dependence on a smartphone and with all the factors that form it (loss of control over themselves, fear of losing a smartphone and euphoria from its use). It is shown that it is the psychological problems of young people that are the main reason for the occurrence of one or another degree of addiction from social networks. At the same time, the need of young men and women in communication is satisfied if they have addiction to a lesser extent than the factors «psychological state» and «obtaining information». Neither boys nor girls have been found to link social media addiction to social contact initiative. The social media addiction of young men is negatively correlated with their social courage and positively correlated with their reaction to conflict in avoidance mode. Such correlations in girls have not been recorded. In boys and girls, there are various correlations of addiction from social networks with emotional intelligence: in boys – a negative connection with self-management, in girls – a positive connection with the recognition of emotions of other people. In general, girls are more dependent than boys on social media. These results are new, as neither domestic nor foreign publications have found results on the links of social media addiction to components of emotional intelligence.
The idea of a humane civilisation in the works of representatives of the Leningrad philosophical school
Considering the fact that at present there is a crisis of modernity, which has not only a political but also a socio-cultural character, the authors of the article try to offer a possible way out of it. Namely, they propose to turn to those socio-philosophical ideas that were developed by representatives of the Leningrad philosophical school in the second half of the 20th century and are almost forgotten at this moment. These ideas, understood through the prism of recent events that have shown the precariousness and insecurity of the unipolar world established after the collapse of the Soviet Union, may well be actualised and used to find the right solutions. The article devotes special attention to the analysis of the socio-philosophical views of V. P. Tugarinov, the dean of the department of philosophy of the Leningrad State University from 1951 to 1960, and V. P. Branskiy, one of the most prominent representatives of the Leningrad philosophical school. It is shown that the idea of humane civilisation, which they conceived as the ideal of social development, meets the theoretical and practical demands of the present. The main characteristics of the humane civilisation are as follows: a pluralistic view of the world, man and society, which, providing freedom of thought and action of people, would not lead to the destruction of society, anarchism in public life or relativism in knowledge; proclamation of freedom the highest value of human life and creation of such social institutions that would be able to guarantee the realisation of freedom in practice; ensuring favourable conditions for the maximum development of personality and moral perfection of man; a critique of bourgeois morality and lifestyle, as well as the pseudo-values of capitalist culture; interpretation of socially significant ideals in the context of the dynamics of social life, as necessary elements of historical development, rather than as eternal truths.
faculty of philosophy of the Leningrad State University
Niklas Luhmann’s theory of social systems: the postmodern character of society’s descriptors
The article carried out a comparative analysis of the basic provisions of the theory of social systems by N. Luhmann and the principles of the philosophy of postmodernism. Considering the categorical apparatus of N. Luhmann’s concept, the author finds points of semantic intersection with a number of key concepts of modern social philosophy, as well as mutual resonation of basic principles. The article proves that the comparison of the theory of social systems by N. Luhmann and the philosophy of postmodernism can be carried out according to several criteria: subjective (general scope of research), historical (common time and context of occurrence) and meaningful (when the perspective of consideration is shifted, it becomes possible to identify semantic parallels named theories). Thus, the article draws a parallel between N. Luhmann’s subjectless sociology and the postmodern concept of the absent subject. In accordance with the theory of social systems by N. Luhmann, the subject is non-communicative by definition. In the conceptual apparatus of the philosophy of postmodernism, a meaningfully similar rejection of the interpretation of the subject in its classical sense is fundamental. A meaningful connection between the concept of binary truth by N. Luhmann, on the one hand, and the subjectivist theory of truth in postmodernism, on the other hand, is revealed. Thus, the truth in the context of N. Luhmann’s social system depends on its relevance for the individual, fitting into the system of knowledge that is significant for him at the moment, the truth is modeled in a non-static context and can be re-evaluated in a subjective way, depending on the shift in the focus of the relevance of one or another fragment of knowledge of the individual. Similarly, in postmodern philosophy there is a subjectivisation of truth, which turns out to be a variable not only in the socio-cultural frame of reference, but also in the frame of reference of the individual. Thus, the article proves that there are semantic parallels in the theory of social systems of N. Luhmann and postmodern philosophy, which allow us to say that, independently of each other, N. Luhmann, on the one hand, and postmodern authors, on the other, develop a new vision of cognitive processes within the post-non-classical type of rationality.
Social consequences of the education digital transformation in the conditions of the coronacrisis
A bioinspired quasi-molecular scenario analysis algorithm has been developed, on the basis of which seven scenarios of the social consequences of the digital transformation of education, as well as five scenarios of the development of the social consequences of the COVID-19 pandemic, have been proposed. The scenario approach is an effective tool for system analysis and forecasting of various variants of social activity of Internet users in the conditions of the coronacrisis.
Conceptualisation of reproduction and adaptive strategies in the constructivist perspective
The article highlights the relevance of finding new approaches in the conceptualisation of adaptive strategies. It is argued that the main approaches that have developed in the sociology of adaptations are characterised by two types of reductionism: one of them is associated with the primacy of objective structures over the subject, and the other with the primacy of the subject over objective structures. The article proposes a new conceptual scheme of social agents’ strategies for the reproduction of the field and adaptation in it through the theoretical resource of the language of P. Bourdieu’s structuralist constructivism. For this purpose the authors demonstrate the interrelation of such key categories as «structure», «field», «habitus», «illusio» and «doxa» in the conceptualisation of various strategies of agents with their typologisation. This step, according to the authors, gives the opportunity to avoid the two designated poles in the sociological conceptualisation of adaptations and to provide higher relevance of operationalisation of reproduction and adaptation strategies applicable for empirical research.
Modern Belarusian strategy of society development
The paper presents a realised analysis of the formation and content of the modern strategy of socio-economic, cultural and political development of the Belarusian society. The tasks of the social policy of the Republic of Belarus are defined. The reasons why the liberal path and liberal tendencies are not supported in Belarus are exposed in the article. The liberal approach assumes some incorrectness, which lies in the fact that the strategic choice of each ethnic group can be made not by deciphering the historical question: Quo vadis? («Who we are, where we are from and where we are going?»), and by a certain joining to the models of some other peoples. And this incorrectness is emphasised. The main characteristics of the modern Belarusian strategy are revealed. They are the social orientation of the state, protection and guarantees of life support, the priority of a person, social groups and categories of the population. They also include the most significant foreign policy dispositions – a course to maintain integration with Russia within the framework of the Union State of Belarus and Russia, friendly relations with all countries and peoples who are ready and agree to equal relations in the field of trade and cultural exchange.
Bilingualism in culturological projection: the phenomenon of open thinking
Bilingualism is considered as a phenomenon of culture in the context of language contact. A comparative analysis of the phenomena of bilingualism and biculturality is carried out. It is shown that, while creating prerequisites for the biculturality of the subject, bilingualism, however, does not provide it. The function of choosing a language as a choice of social roles, which opens up for a bilingual subject, is shown. The leading role of language choice in the context of communicative adaptation is substantiated. The criteria of language choice are considered: social, socio-psychological and occasional-situational. Adaptive strategies are modelled in relation to speech behaviour in a communicative situation. The significance of the balance between the linguistic and ethnic identity of the subject, on the one hand, and his desire to meet the linguistic expectations of the interlocutor, on the other, is shown. The role of bilingualism as a factor in the emphasis of reflection on language is substantiated. It is shown that in a bilingual context the problems of language development go beyond boundaries of linguistics and become а subject of wide social discussions. The role of bilingualism in literary creativity is revealed, the value of using lexemes of the second language as a tool for enriching artistic expressiveness is shown. It is proved that the more languages in the applied thesaurus of the subject, the richer the emotional palette of his perception of the world. The potential of the language is revealed in relation to not only expressing, but also reflecting emotions, which expands the range of reflexive comprehension of the emotional sphere. On the material of the texts of poetic culture in Belarus, the expansion of the range of expressive possibilities of bilingual subject is substantiated and its significance for the development of artistic culture is demonstrated. The specificity of bilingual subject’s thinking is revealed. Firstly, it is substantiated that in different linguistic projections, a particular fragment of reality can not only turn with its different facets, but in general be configured in a different way, expanding the interpretive potential of the subject and his cognitive capabilities. Thus, the picture of the world of a bilingual subject turns out to be more multidimensional and more plastic. Secondly, it is shown that the possibility of switching the language code, open to a bilingual subject, entails the possibility of appealing to the values of both cultures behind the languages. The thinking of a bilingual subject turns out to be open in relation to more than one option for perceiving reality, which provides not only a richness of perception, but also an expansion of the range of understanding. Such open thinking also means expanding the possibilities of mutual understanding in cross-cultural dialogue, which ensures the effectiveness of both interpersonal communications and the success of international interactions.
Factor structure of assertity questionnaire
The authors made an attempt to reduce the number of items on the A26 questionnaire by improving the factor structure of the assertiveness questionnaire. Thepreviously carried out development of a reliable and valid Russian-language assertiveness questionnaire A26 made it possible to obtain a large number of results, including partially repeating foreign ones, but also showing significant differences in the properties of assertion among Russian-speaking research participants. Questionnaire A26 includes 26 questions aimed at finding out how a person behaves in relation to others, to friends, close people and how he reacts to various life situations. Correlation and factor (exploratory and confirmatory) analyses of the original version of the A26 questionnaire and its version A23, reduced to 23 items, were carried out. Thefactorial models of the A26 and A23 questionnaires are presented and analysed. Both of them contain factor 1 «confidence» and factor 2 «determination», which include all items of A23, but in A26 there are two items that are not included in any of the factors. Model A23 is more strongly associated with the indicated factors of assertiveness, as well as with the most reliable correlates of assertiveness: strategies of behaviour in conflict, life satisfaction (positive connection) and shyness (negative connection). At the same time, A23 has better uniformity and discrimination than A26. Thecorrelation between A26 and A23 is 0.988. We obtained a reduced to 23 items version (A23) of the assertiveness questionnaire with the best psychometric properties, which meets the main criteria of reliability and validity. Thearticle contains the full (A26) and abbreviated (A23) versions of the assertiveness questionnaire.
Post-Soviet trends in the development of nonformal education of children and youth: Belarusian case
In this article the author analyses the processes of sociogenesis and transformation of the system of additional education for children and youth in the social-temporal continuum which is set by the challenges of the post-Soviet period of the formation of the Republic of Belarus as a sovereign state. The main socio-cultural formats and trends of innovative development of additional education that presented as a social system and socio-educational practice were studied. The author explores methodological approaches to the analysis of additional education as a variable polydisciplinary type of education which is not regulated by state educational standards. Today additional education is considered as a social technology of formal education, non-formal education and development. The article provides up-to-date statistical information about social actors who implement additional education for children and youth in the Republic of Belarus. This approach allows us to consider additional education as a sociosphere of resource opportunities that increase the efficiency of socialisation process of students.
non-formal education of children and youth
availability and quality of non-formal education of children and youth
Content consumption patterns new media by the population of Belarus: theoretical and methodological aspect of the construction
The article indicates the relevance of the study of media practices of the population with the exit to the formation of relatively stable models of media consumption in the conditions of the reflexive growth of the impact of such a player in the information field as new media. The characteristics of the features of the typologisation and classification of social subjects are given, possible approaches to typologisation and classification are reflected, as well as those contradictions that may arise during the implementation of the designated research procedures. A two-stage scenario for the implementation of the study of media consumption of the population of Belarus with the derivation of social portraits of consumers of traditional and new media finds its justification, the content of these constructs is reviewed. Using a practical example of an independent representative sociological research, the possibilities of factor and cluster analysis in empirical typology using software are demonstrated with a detailed description of the implementation of procedures and proposals for ways to resolve possible difficulties in the course of their application. The author presents and interprets the author’s five-component typology of media consumption models with an exit to the possibility of its application in wide practice with the available array of primary sociological information on the basis of calculating a number of additional indicators. The results obtained can find their application in the sociology of mass communication and the media and are addressed to specialists in the field of sociology of public opinion, theories of the information society, as well as the theory and methodology of sociology.
The Eastern European and Baltic scope of transformation processes
This paper is a way to present the transformation processes, which have been taking place in Eastern Europe and Baltic states since the end of 20th century up to now. It is an attempt to describe the main difficulties, which appear on the way of changes and to find their origins. The main idea is that the process of transformation, which began the same way for all countries, developing and moving through time, acquires its own features and peculiarities, which leads to the formation of a different, dissimilar version of the social structure and economic model.
Skilling digital technologies in the labour sphere: experience of empirical research in Minsk and Saint Petersburg
Article is written on the basis of an analysis of empirical data obtained in 2021 from sociological studies conducted in Saint Petersburg and Minsk – cities with a population of one million, which served as the object of research of the current digital transformation. A feature of both samples was the large percentage of people with higher education among the employed population. In fact, we studied a group of urban professionals. The authors identify trends in the world of work that detail digital transformation processes. The purpose of the article is to describe the trends in the digitalisation process in the world of work in a large city and to reveal how relevant these trends are for the Belarusian and Russian professionals. The authors show the level of digital acquisition of the employed urban population today, as well as the impact on this process of the previous year associated with the pandemic and the inevitable transition of a part of the employed population to remote work. The article presents the factors that determine the labour motivation of urban professionals of different levels in their mastering of information and communication technologies, reveals the development trends of labour digitalisation processes and their impact on certain groups of professionals employed in both production and non-production spheres. It is concluded that the motivation of the employed population to master new digital knowledge directly depends on how much a person needs it in the workplace, contributes to his career advancement or helps to keep the workplace.
information and communication technologies
The forming of potential of youth social activity in the system of additional education
The article presents a sociological analysis of the demanded by society forms of social activity of children and youth. Based on the materials of the local empirical sociological research, the role of additional education of children and youth as a unique socio-cultural practice and type of education directed to increasing the resource possibilities of the student’s personality in formation and realisation of models of prosocial behaviour. The materials of the sociological research presented in the article analyse the value-normative attitudes of students regarding the demonstration of the phenomenon of leadership as a socio-role position that ensures the effectiveness and culture of social action. The identified request for a set of knowledge and skills aimed at the development of social competencies that provide the success of a leadership position in the planning, organisation and management of socially significant youth initiatives is considered. Motivation and forms of manifestation of social activity in the implementation of initiatives of various directions are considered as an expression of the social quality of the individual, which characterises its potential and the possibility of constructive activity. The article is highlighted and analysed volunteerism as an actual social practice aimed at creating additional resources for both groups that are the perceiving side of volunteerism, and for the subjects themselves of the manifestation of socially active action and the realisation of a supportive model of prosocial behaviour.
additional education of children and youth
Cognitive analysis of the everyday cognition functions
As a result of the present research, the systematisation of the functions of everyday cognition was carried out, which made it possible to explicate its functions that had not previously been the subject of special philosophical consideration: ontological, regulatory, reflexive, selective, prognostic, programming function of the activity, behaviour and communication function of reproduction of social life. The cognitive mechanisms and communicative schemes of everyday cognition, its existential and methodological functions, the features of the functions of cognitive and digital socialisation, as well as the adaptive function of everyday cognition at the present stage are considered. It was concluded that everyday cognition is a key cognitive factor in the reproduction of social life.
programming of activity, behaviour and communication
Social optimism as epiphenomenon of subjective assessment of Belarusian students’ life quality
The article is devoted to the subjective assessment of the Belarusian student youth’s life quality, considered in the context of the implementation of the state youth policy. The concept of life quality is considered within the framework of the subjective approach that attributes to the individual a fundamental role in social life. Measuring of the subjective quality means making use of the index method, designed to reduce social information to a single indicator, regardless of the total number of the object’s indicators. Within the framework of the developed technique for measuring life quality, calculated were individual (particular) indices that describe the characteristics of the student youth’s public consciousness to certain aspects of life quality, as well as the integral index of life quality and aggregate index of the standard of living. The indicators of life quality are as follows: subjective assessment of the material standard of living, subjective assessment of health, accessibility and quality of medical care, subjective assessment of accessibility and quality of education, subjective assessment of accessibility and quality of social infrastructure, subjective assessment of the state of ecological environment, subjective assessment of quality of social environment and satisfaction with quality of life. The given technique enables to diagnose various aspects of the students’ life and identify weaknesses in implementing particular areas of the state youth policy. It was used to measure the quality of life of the Belarus State Economic University students who were the object of the study carried out in two stages – in 2019 and 2020. A comparative analysis of the data showed that the respondents demonstrated a high degree of satisfaction with both objective living conditions and subjective perception of the degree of satisfaction with their needs. The analysis of the general indices of subjective quality of life in retrospective, current and prospective aspects testifies to the respondents’ social optimism since their values do not decrease and in some cases increase. The only exception is the value of the index of subjective assessment of social environment quality: its decrease in 2020 indicates that the respondents fixed a negative impact on their lives and life of the whole society, which was caused by the socio-economic consequences of the COVID-19 pandemic and the political crisis in the country. Although social optimism is weakly expressed, the given epiphenomenon can be explained by the fact that the young people consider all indicators of life quality as virtually equal that is both conditioned by the results of socialisation and logic of a modern society’s development.
The sociology of knowledge as the important factor of Belarusian digital economy development
The article considers various elements and components of digital economy. The role of numerous types of knowledge (technical, theoretical (scientific), organisational, ordinary, local, unorganised, individual, etc.) in the development of the latter is revealed. The possibilities of the sociology of knowledge in studying of such problems as the problem of comprehensive description of the phenomenon of knowledge in general, the problem of differentiation of processes of knowledge transformation (such processes today include socialisation, externalisation, combination, internalisation, demonstration, codification, audiovisual recording of knowledge, its standardisation, its transfer from a category of public goods to a category of private goods, monopolisation of knowledge, etc.), are determined. Based on the results of the study, the following conclusions are substantiated. Scientific knowledge can become a key resource of the digital economy if it undergoes the process of codification using specialised methods. Theoretical scientific knowledge should be published in the open press, digitisedand posted on the Internet to ensure free access to them; applied scientific knowledge of technological nature must be patented and licensed. The sociology of knowledge can become an important factor in the development of the digital economy of Belarus if the studies carried out by representatives of this area of the Belarusian sociological science on such problems as defining of knowledge priorities, inclusiveness of the scientific knowledge in the digital economy, social adaptation of scientific knowledge, elimination of the existing techno-humanitarian imbalance, etc., are intensified.
Digital transformation of a big city as an object of sociological analysis
The article presents a sociological analysis of the digital transformation phenomenon (the case of Minsk). The chronology of the stages of the formation of scientific discourse about this phenomenon (automation, digitisation, digitalisation and digital transformation) is described. Specific indicators of the sociological dimension of the digital transformation of the city based on empirical data are proposed (the ratio of digital and traditional methods of solving applied problems, the exit of digital technologies beyond their utilitarian use, motivation for the development of new technologies). Using the obtained indicators, a typology of digital types of citizens is constructed.
Development of a sociological way of thinking with the help of multimedia technologies on the example of Navigitel tales
The sociological way of thinking is defined as a key mode of perceiving and evaluate social actions and as a regulator of a socialised actor performance. A model of development of the sociological way of thinking under an influence of Navigitel tales is built. Structural and functional description of the model is presented. Multimedia technologies are substantiated as a technological base for practical implementation of the built model. The potential of multimedia technologies at the development of the sociological way of thinking has been disclosed. Keys thesis of axiology and sociological essence of the Navigitel tales are formulated.
Russians’ interpretation of happiness and its determinants: results of the survey
The article presents the results of the representative all-Russian online survey conducted in the late 2020 – early 2021, i. e., in the period defined today by the scientific, authorities and everyday discourses as pre-covid-19 or pre-pandemic. At that time, and the situation has not changed, rankings became extremely popular, including the ranking of countries by the level of happiness, despite the fact that the very word «happiness» is ambiguous, full of contradictory connotations and difficult to define conceptually and empirically even within the disciplinary framework of specific disciplines, including sociology. The article presents the results of the survey (dominant interpretations of happiness, self-estimates in terms of happiness, etc.) and methodological conclusions (pressure of social desirability, gender and generational measurements of happiness and its definitions) from the online survey conducted with the authors questionnaire which allowed respondents to assess their level of happiness and to express their opinion on how it should be defined and what can influence it (a combination of direct and indirect questions).