Abstract
The goal of the research is to analyze the social and cultural integration as a tool for resolving the identities conflicts in the modern Russia. The methodology of research includes the systemic, social and philosophical analysis of social and cultural integration as a way for settling the identities conflicts in the North Caucasus. As a result of the study the author comes to the fact that a theoretical synthesis of conflictological paradigm and neofunctionalism is essential. In the paper, it is concluded that the modern conflicts resolution theory focuses its attention on the capacity of social and cultural integration to transform the destructive identities conflicts into constructive conflicts of interests. The author considers the structural factors of regional identities conflicts escalation and emphasizes the destabilizing role of ethnicity politicization. As the conditions of growth for the ethnic tension in the North Caucasus and its transformation into destructive identities conflicts, the author singles out the social inequalities, civic identity crisis, and ethnic mobilization. Proceeding from the analysis conducted, the author identifies the main factor of regional identities conflicts escalation: the controversy between systemic modernization and social disintegration. Finally, the conclusion is drawn about that the conflict resolution strategy for the Russian society has to be built on the principles of civic solidarity and social and cultural integration but not on the assimilation policy and suppression of ethnic distinctions. DOI: 10.5901/mjss.2015.v6n6s5p325
Highlights
The problem of analyzing the social and cultural integration as a way of de-escalation and settlement of weighty identities conflicts theoretically is associated with solving the following research tasks: 1) the methodological synthesis of social conflict theories and neofunctionalist paradigm; 2) finding the structural causes and factors of growth of ethnic tension in the North Caucasian region; 3) conceptualizing the social and cultural integration and representing it as a tool for resolving the ethnic controversies in the North Caucasus.The specific character of identities conflicts as new challenges to the Russian society integration consists in their taking place against the background of ethnic tension escalation and as a result of clash of competing values
The necessity of promoting the social and cultural integration in the North Caucasus is due to instrumental causes: from the ethic viewpoint, the creation of an integrated "society for everyone" is self-evident societal goal; the structural causes of supporting the integration are associated with economic, social, ethnic distinctions that reduce mobility, which in its turn leads to social fragmentation and produces a negative effect on the modernization process and prevention of ethnic conflicts in their most destructive form – the conflicts of identities
Demodernization and economic polarization that act as the structural factors determining the acuteness of ethnic tension and, the escalation of identities conflict in the North Caucasus
Summary
The specific character of identities conflicts as new challenges to the Russian society integration consists in their taking place against the background of ethnic tension escalation and as a result of clash of competing values. The identities conflicts are a consequence of social inequalities growth and ethnicity politicization which threaten the integration and modernization processes in transforming Russia and in the North Caucasian region. The identities conflicts and social disintegration aggravate the polarization of the Russian society, generate apathy and passivity of the population while pushing the carriers of radical ideologies toward illegitimate forms of protest and political extremism. The comprehensive analysis of social and cultural integration that is treated as a multi-dimensional process of value consolidation owing to which individuals and ethno-social groups achieve a high level of compatibility with the metacultural environment forming the integration identity gains a priority meaning
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