Socio-cultural dynamics of multiple modernities in Brazil and Russia

Abstract

The article is devoted to comparative-historical analysis of transformation processes in Brazil and Russia from the viewpoint of the multiple modernities theory. Shmuel Eisenstadt’s study of the Latin American version of modernity and interpretations of his ideas in the works of contemporary sociologists are characterized. The peculiarities of modernization in Brazil are singled out including the impact of orientation to external centers of liberal modernity. The article considers the spread of modern ideologies and institutions in Brazilian society and the role of socio-cultural factors in its transition to democracy. The modernizing dynamics of Russian society is discussed on the basis of Johann Arnason’s sociological theory. It is emphasized that Arnason’s analysis of intercivilizational encounters and “imperial modernization” is essential for understanding social transformations in Russian society. The study of the Soviet model of modernity in Arnason’s works is also discussed in the article. It is argued that a comparative analysis of Brazil and Russia should take into consideration the impact of religious traditions and institutions on socio-political changes, the differences between modernizing trajectories of the two countries, the unequal length and intensity of imperial experience, the degree of openness towards western liberal modernity. The main difference of contemporary Russia from Latin American societies is the legacy of the Soviet period.