Social protest in the Altai Territory: research experience in the methodology of social conflict

Abstract

This article studies the phenomenon of social protest in the Altai Territory. The authors present the data from a sociological study on this issue conducted in 2018-2020. The main method of empirical research was a survey of the population in various territories of the region, which revealed the real and potential level of protest activity of citizens. This article considers the process of formation and development of protest as a special form of social conflict, studying the influence of a complex of factors on the formation of protest moods, as well as the real protest behavior of the population. The authors show the social nature of protest, which is based on contradictions in the interests of various social groups in the regional society. In the authors’ understanding, the protest behavior is represented as individual or collective actions of subjects demonstrating dissatisfaction with the existing situation in society. The significance of the research lies in the understanding of social protest as a form of conflict. This article deals with problems related to various scientific interpretations of the essence and content of social protest, traditional and non-classical methodological approaches to determining its essence and content. Attention is paid to the functions of protest, the constructive orientation of some protest actions of civil activists, and the extent to which the protest behavior of the population affects various aspects of the life of the regional society. In the course of the research, the following components of social protest in the region were analyzed: the real and potential level; causes; and the forms of manifestation, among others. As it turned out in the course of the study, social protest actions in regional society are one-time and situational in nature, and they can be prevented and regulated. The authors conclude that the lack of effective mechanisms for managing the protest behavior of social actors in regional society can lead to the most unfavorable social consequences — an increased conflict between different levels of subjects, increased tension, aggravation of social problems and other crisis phenomena in society. The conclusions are also formulated, according to which the reason for the protest is the rejection of certain subjects of the current social situation in society, dissatisfaction with various aspects of their life.