Socio-political Transformation Research Articles

Alternative Book Publishing: The Terminology Evolution

The article aims to clarify the content of the concept of “alternative book publishing” taking into account the historical retrospective, as well as to consider the formation of the terminology used in studying the development of this phenomenon in Russia. An analysis of scientific literature shows that the definition of “alternative” began to be used by Russian scientists in relation to printed works and publishing activities in the post-Soviet period against the background of the cardinal socio-political transformations taking place in the country. The term “alternative press” came into scientific usage to define the late 1980s—1990s press that was not controlled by the state, was in opposition and expressed public dissent. The researchers who introduced this term into the scientific community described it as a phenomenon of the transition period. In the first post-Soviet decade, the concept of “alternative book publishing” appeared and became widely used to refer to non-state, independent book publishing of the new stage of Russian history. However, according to the author, this term is also applicable to earlier historical periods, since publishing activities, alternative to the state book publishing, have a deep tradition in Russia. This paper offers an interpretation of the concept of “alternative book publishing” in relation to different stages of national history. The author traces the formation of the terms that characterize this phenomenon and reveals their content in different historical periods.

Discovering the Legacy of Mandailing Ulama: Education, Intellectuals, and Politics in North Sumatra in the Early 20th Century

This study examines the role of Mandailing ulama in education, intellectuals, and politics in the early 20th century. Ulama plays a critical role in safeguarding the morality of Muslim society (umma). Drawing upon the historical approach, it employed Kuntowijoyo model of writing history stages and Anthony Giddens' structuration theory to analyze the problems that this study intends to answer. This study argues that the social structure surrounding the Mandailing ulama enabled them to address religious and other sociocultural issues. This study also unveiled that the Mandaling ulama in the early 20th century mobilized the organizations, such as Al Washliyah (1930), Al-Ittihadiyah (1935), and Nahdlatul Ulama (1918) to promote the education of the indigenous people, fortify the Sunni school of thought from the heretical and influence of Dutch colonial government. It was manifested by supporting only two Islamic political parties: the Masjumi Party and the Nahdlatul Ulama Party. This suggests that Ulama were not only religious scholars who acquired knowledge of Islamic norms and disseminated them through religious and educational institutions, such as madrasa and pesantren, but also active agents in socio-political transformation within the Muslim community.

The role of religion in the formation of solidarity and social cohesion in independent Ukraine

The article is devoted to the analysis of the role of the religious factor in the formation of solidarity and social cohesion in Ukraine during the period of independence. The relevance of this topic is substantiated by the fact that during the years of independence Ukraine has been going through the path of socio-political transformations, which are marked by important social processes of departure from the Soviet "inheritance" and building social relations on a new democratic basis. These transformational processes take place with certain points of particular aggravation and tension - crises, during which Ukrainians demonstrate an extremely high level of social cohesion, solidarity and readiness for self-sacrifice for the protection of common values. The authors investigate social and transformational processes in Ukrainian society, trying to apply the theoretical and methodological approach and conceptualization of the concept of solidarity carried out by Emile Durkheim and describe the experience of the transition from the USSR and gaining independence of Ukraine as the process of changing the types of solidarity from "mechanical" to "organic". Considerable attention is paid to social factors that affect the social cohesion of society in general and in Ukraine in particular. The article explores the potential of religion as a social institution that unites communities of various levels. The authors, analyzing the main trends of religious life in Ukraine during Ukraine's independence, as well as the state of public trust to the church, religious leaders, as well as the level of tolerance in society, testify the significant influence of the religious factor on social cohesion and solidarity in Ukraine. The courage, sacrifice and absolute unity of Ukrainians in resisting the full-scale aggression of Russia became another vivid confirmation of the "organic" type of solidarity that has formed in Ukraine. Different political forces, state structures of different levels, military, volunteers, civil society organizations and religious organizations acted as a single solidarity organism in defense of common values of freedom, sovereignty, territorial integrity of Ukraine, human dignity and identity. The scientific result is the substantiation of the influence of the religious factor on the formation of social cohesion through indicators of religious pluralism, the level of tolerance on religious grounds, the level of trust in religion. Indicators are derived from the methodological guidelines of E. Durkheim (in particular, his concept of different types of solidarity) and others, as well as modern approaches of international organizations engaged in research on social cohesion. The data of sociological studies of different years conducted in Ukraine, as well as the secondary analysis of sociological results, became the basis for the conclusion that religious organizations in Ukraine are active and equal subjects of civil society, which influenced and influence the formation of public attitudes and positions, and therefore social cohesion and solidarity in society.

Narratives of Volunteering and Social Change in Wartime Ukraine

Ukraine’s efforts to resist the Russian invasion have sparked unprecedented levels of civic engagement. While the more tangible efforts to alleviate immediate needs have been prominently featured in mass media and elsewhere, the norms and values that shaped this large-scale collective effort often remain behind the scenes. Approaching narratives of volunteering through a critical cultural sociology lens, we find that wartime involvement constitutes a shift from duty-based norms in which citizens are required or expected to engage in civic activities, to forms of engaged citizenship which contribute not just to the state, but also to the wellbeing of those in need. In this context, volunteering facilitates the emergence of civil society that often occupies the space outside of the currently defined institutional contexts and works through the collective shaping and contestation of social norms and values. Documenting these dynamics provides valuable new insights into the important role volunteerism plays in broader sociopolitical transformations, especially in non-Western and postcolonial contexts where the processes of civil society development take many forms and may be easily overlooked.

Academic leadership and decision-making in institutions of higher learning in Zimbabwe: Trends and tribulations

Orientation: The global technological and sociopolitical transformations sweeping across tertiary institutions demand dynamic, proactive and creative leaders who are capable of harnessing the various leadership and decisional skills the diversified experts possess through shared governance. Research purpose: The purpose of this study was to demonstrate that academic leaders are endowed with leadership and decision-making skills and use a preferred situational style or model to attain organisational goals. Motivation for the study: Tertiary institutions demand transformational leaders endowed with appropriate decisional skills and a participative culture for the attainment of organisational goals with the ultimate aim of achieving world-class standards in their volatile environments. Research approach/design and method: Pragmatism informed the mixed methods approach (MMA) utilised. Qualitative data was generated from 10 purposely selected participants using open-ended questions of a case study design, while quantitative data was gathered from 58 systematically sampled respondents using a cross-sectional questionnaire survey. Samples were limited by the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic. Main findings: The study revealed that the institutional leaders investigated preferred the transformational leadership style used in conjunction with the rational and creative decision-making models because they were found to be participative, innovative and compatible with the Ministry’s Education 5.0 policy. An eclectic approach was equally suggested. Practical/managerial implications: Shared governance and collective responsibility were suggested in conceiving strategic plans as effective leadership and decision-making skills are not confined to a single individual. Contribution/value-add: Managerial leadership in tertiary institutions must devolve power and flatten the organogram if leadership and decisional skills possessed by followers are to be tapped.

Integration and disintegration at Minanha, a petty Maya kingdom in the North Vaca Plateau, Belize

• Diachronic reconstruction of household integrative practices at Minanha. • Chronology spans the Late-Terminal Preclassic through to the Early Postclassic. • Household responses to rise and fall of the royal court vary within community. • Historical contingency is important for understanding this variability. • Collapse of the Minanha polity resulted in process of “societal compression”. Research focusing on the emergence and collapse of ancient Maya polities is abundant, with many studies detailing these sociopolitical transformations from the perspective of apical elites at Classic period centers across the lowlands. It is, however, only relatively recently that studies have examined how the integrative strategies of commoner populations were both enabled and constrained by processes of sociopolitical integration and disintegration. This detailed settlement study reconstructs how the practices of a commoner community in the site core of Minanha, Belize, were central to the construction and reproduction of the social dynamics of this ancient Maya center, from its founding through to its abandonment. We explore how households adapted and reorganized in response to major sociopolitical transformations, emphasizing integrative and disintegrative processes associated with the rise and fall of Minanha’s Late Classic (AD 675–810) royal court. This diachronic perspective illustrates the historically contingent nature of household and community responses to the Classic Maya collapse. We utilize a conjunctive methodology that combines “bottom up” (household and community) and “top down” (royal court) data to provide a nuanced and holistic picture of processes of sociopolitical transformation in the Maya lowlands.

The rise of idiôtês: Micro-politics of death and community reproduction in Bronze Age Hungary

• Applying ritual economy approach to assess funerals as active and political arena. • Middle-range theory to recover material signatures of micro-political discourse. • Bridging micro-politics at funerals and broad historical transformations. • Micro-politics of death providing a new agent-centered historical narrative. The Hungarian Bronze Age witnessed rapid sociopolitical transformation during the 16th century BCE as large communities scattered across the landscape, most long inhabited tell-settlements were reorganized, and centuries-old cemeteries were abandoned. Historical change on this scale is often perceived as a single, momentous episode elusive in the process, but visceral and consequential in its effect. This study develops a multiscalar approach to recover unfolding sequences of actions that led to such fundamental transformation of Bronze Age society. Examining material assemblages of five cemeteries in central Hungary, I explore the ways broadening economic activities, and increasing importance and control of bronze led to changing interpersonal relations and finally to disarticulation of communities. The study integrates a series of theoretical concepts to develop a middle-range theory of mortuary practice. This approach can recover material signatures of micro-political discourse during singular funerary occasions illuminating processes behind the transformation of Bronze Age society.

The triple problem displacement: Climate change and the politics of the Great Acceleration

Climate change is one of the greatest challenges that human societies have ever faced. After a late start, it is by now rather intensely debated and analysed also in the social sciences and humanities, though mostly through overly generic explanations in terms of an instrumental relation to nature, of capitalist expansion drives or of the human longing for comfort. In contrast, this article concentrates on the socio-political transformations since the middle of the 20th century, which have been referred to as the ‘Great Acceleration’ in the use of biophysical resources and in environmental degradation. It provides an analysis of the socio-political mechanisms that brought the resource-intensive path of social development about, showing how Western democratic societies tended to ‘solve’ difficult social problems by means of a triple displacement: onto other societies; onto nature and the planet; and into the future. As an unintended consequence, this displacement politics led to the globalization of resource-intensive development and to a planetary situation in which, at least as it appears in much of current debate, no further displacement is possible. The article concludes with insights for a more adequate approach to social phenomena of large scale and long duration in social theory.

SCIENTIFIC AND METHODICAL APPROACH TO THE ASSESSMENT OF DIAGNOSTICS OF THE ECONOMIC SECURITY OF ECONOMIC

The purpose of the article is to develop a scientific-methodical approach to the assessment of diagnostics of the economic security of economic entities on the example of the city of Kyiv and the calculation of an integral indicator that makes it possible to summarize the characteristics that reflect the most important properties of the presented research object. It has been proven that the negative consequences of socio-political transformations in Ukraine, the long-term depletion of resources of economic entities in the conditions of permanent structural changes of the national economy, require practical measures to ensure the appropriate level of economic security of the business. It was concluded that the multifaceted scientific views on the essence and methods of diagnosing economic security, which can also be applied to economic entities, actualize the issue of researching key approaches to its assessment, where the subject of assessment is: directly the object of research (the activity of sub "business entities of the city of Kyiv); factors affecting the object of the relevant study (external and internal threats); the system of ensuring economic security: measures that contribute to the stabilization of the functioning of all the presented components of the research object. The methodology for assessing the level of protection of economic interests is based on the criteria of the efficiency of the functioning of agricultural production, namely: the ability of participants in agricultural production to optimally distribute and effectively use resources (resource component); opportunities to ensure at an appropriate level the needs and goals of consumers of agricultural products, provision of labor resources (social component); support of national interests of agricultural production under the influence of globalization processes (market component); intensification of agricultural production development (innovative component). It is proposed to use a functional-systemic approach, which allows forming of a universal algorithm for diagnosing the economic security of business entities and calculating an integral indicator that makes it possible to summarize the characteristics that reflect the most important properties of the presented object of research According to the results of the study, it was concluded that the business entities of the city of Kyiv are in the zone of probable danger. The level of economic security of economic entities of the city of Kyiv in this zone reflects the intensity of their systematic destruction, which, first of all, requires urgent measures aimed at restoring the normal state of the identified crisis indicators.

GLOBAL CHALLENGES IN THE LIFE SITUATIONS OF UKRAINIAN YOUTH

The formation of modern youth takes place in the period of socio-political transformations, directly impacting the life orientations of young people, their behaviour, social-economic situation. These factors contribute to the spread of risks associated with threats to health and life, uncertainty of life start and self-realization, value and regulatory uncertainty. The purpose of the article: to study approaches to identifying risk factors that impact the youth environment. Research methods applied: analysis and synthesis of scientific literature (to clarify the key concepts of the study), systematization (in order to identify existing scientific approaches to solving the problem), theoretical generalization (to formulate the final provisions and conclusions). If earlier scientific researches were mainly concentrated within the limits of natural-scientific and economic courses, now the allocation of a separate interdisciplinary direction − riskology is actual. The majority of young people experience the problem of life-start, which has a negative impact on the working career of young people, their family life and lifestyle and makes young people financially dependent on their parents. Globalization has had a significant impact on the development of the risk society. In the context of globalization, traditional social ties are being destroyed; young people avoid traditional restrictions, but at the same time lose a sense of reliability, stability, confidence in the future and feel anxious and afraid of the need to choose. Therefore, public policy should take into account all the factors that have a negative impact on the youth environment and help minimize the risks and form «socially healthy» youth.

The Evolution of the Socio-political Situation of the Republic of Türkiye in the 20th Century – Efforts Towards the Europeanisation of the Society and State

The events related to the collapse of the Ottoman Empire and the proclamation of the Republic of Türkiye contributed to a complete departure from the system of constitutional monarchy in favour of a parliamentary democracy. Owing to the decisions on Europeanisation and implemented reforms, i.e., adopting a Civil Code based on the Swiss code, a Criminal Code refl ecting the Italian code, a Commercial Code underpinned by the German code (1924), and the transition to the Latin alphabet which replaced Arabic (1928), as well as education reforms (1925), women’s suffrage (1934), and the introduction of surnames (1935), etc. the Turkish people became a European society, aware of their rights and obligations. The transition from a singleparty regime to a multi-party period (1946) allowed for democracy to be consolidated. Türkiye’s participation in strictly European and international political and military organisations was of vital signifi cance and turned the country into an extremely important state. Its failed efforts to join the EEC, and, subsequently, the European Union, resulted in Türkiye abandoning its interest in this form of cooperation (1997). The socio-political transformations that took place in the 20th century, highlighted in this article, characterise this dynamically changing period. The evolution of the views of Turkish society was clearly marked in the second half of the 20th century, which led to serious changes in the mindsets of the Turkish people and completely altered the image of the country post-2002, allowing the newly established Justice and Development Party to assume power (2002).

МӘШҺҮРЖҮСІПТІҢ ТАРИХИ МҰРАСЫ

Mashkhur Zhusip Kopeyuly is a poet born in the era of historical socio-economic and socio-political transformations. He made a huge contribution to the formation, development and expansion of the artistic space of Kazakh written literature. The relevance of the idea of the younger generation about the cultural and literary heritage and the personality of the folklorist, who reliably described the socio-political state of Kazakh society, who managed to capture the breath of the era, is undeniable.The scientific problems of the article are related to the study of the cultural and literary heritage of Mashkhur Zhusip in the context of the program “Rukhani Zhangyru”. Methods of scientific research used: collective method (collection of scientific facts, scientific information), interpretation, description, conceptual analysis, comparative analysis method, etc.Systematization of the heritage of Mashkhur Zhusip and its study are promising areas of research of the Kazakh national cultural code. The proof of this is the publication of 20 volumes of works by Kazakh writers and poets collected by Mashkhur Zhusip.Since independence, significant results have been achieved in uncovering “white spots”in art, including fiction. Nevertheless, it is known that not allancient manuscripts are systematized. This is the basis for conducting an additional study of the literary heritage of the past.

Religiosity and civic activism of youth in Kazakhstan: potential link and possible contradictions

The role of religion as a mean of promoting the growth of civic engagement, both positive and negative, is generally recognized throughout the world. The growing interest of young people in religion actualizes the problems of interaction of the religiosity of Kazakh youth with modern trends in the development of civil society, determining the civic position of the younger generation and its participation in socio-political transformations.  The potential link and possible contradictions between youth religiosity and civic activism are analyzed using data from a representative survey and available secondary sources of information using methods of descriptive statistics, conjugacy tables and chi-square tests. The study revealed that young people do not set out to deeply comprehend religious knowledge, as they perceive religion as a tradition and part of culture. In Kazakhstan, it is rather imposed by external trend hobbies and attitudes, and is not the basis for an active civic position. The study of the relationship between religiosity and civic activity of young people in Kazakhstan shows that religion and politics are not differentiated in the understanding of the majority of young people. The analysis of secondary data made it possible to assess the influence of religion on civic engagement and political participation at the discursive level. Based on the conducted research, the article assumes that the observance of all religious rites is a behavior that demonstrates discipline, responsibility, respect for the traditions and culture, which can be considered as an explicit and implicit resource in public life. The article provides recommendations for a better understanding of the active civic potential of religious youth in a secular Kazakhstani society. Keywords: youth, religiosity, religious identity, civic activism, political participation.

“Justice Futures”: Forensic Investigation and the Potential for Transformation in Eritrea

This article addresses the role of the dead and disappeared and the potential for forensic investigation of atrocities in the context of an evolving transitional justice debate and framework for Eritrea. As one possible component of transitional justice, forensic investigation represents an especially potent modality to document the physical evidence of atrocities, help establish truth and accountability, and catalyse deeper conversations about justice, reconciliation, repair, access to resources, and socio-political transformation. This discussion is especially relevant as human rights proponents continue to debate the implications of findings by the Human Rights Council that Eritrean authorities have committed or enabled crimes against humanity and whether these should culminate in a referral to the International Criminal Court.

Christian Social Activism and Rule of Law in Chinese Societies, edited by Fenggang Yang and Chris White.

<i>Christian Social Activism and Rule of Law in Chinese Societies</i>, edited by Fenggang Yang and Chris White.

М.М. Сперанский: особенности российских реформ

The purpose of this article is to analyze the significance and political role of M.M. Speransky as the first theorist and methodologist of Russian reforms based on a rational, scientific approach, with a focus on identifying the civilizational, mental and political specifics of Russia. The article used such methods as historical, comparative and hermeneutic. Speransky was the founder of a special conservative-liberal trend in Russia, according to which, when carrying out any reforms, it is necessary to take into account the stable monarchical, autocratic traditions of public consciousness. He considered optimal the option of "reforms from above" controlled by the supreme power and the state apparatus, with the preservation of guarantees of stability and legality of socio-political processes. Historically, the institutions of the autocratic system were considered by Speransky not as "political rudiments", but as effective "levers" and "mechanisms" for carrying out the necessary transformations. According to Speransky, the reform strategy should include an in-depth analysis of well-thought-out preparatory measures and rational consistency of all elements of the reform program. Social transformations should be cautious, gradual, step-by-step, excluding any drastic, radical steps and measures. At the same time, the most important factors were both the enlightened nature of the state power itself, and the purposeful processes of public education, political education initiated by the authorities, and the formation of a mature legal consciousness in society in the direction of the development of civil society. The conservative-liberal path of reforms under the leadership of the supreme power was opposed by M.M. Speranian revolutionary and radical-liberal methods of socio-political transformations, which have destructive, destructive consequences for the country.

روندها و مطالبات اصلی کنشگری برای حقوق زنان ایران در 100 سال گذشته

This presentation provides a brief summary of the changes in gender dynamics in Iran over the past 100 years (1300-1400/1921-2021), focusing on the status, rights, and demands of women. Women’s demands and the theoretical and practical framework in which they are conveyed will be the primary determinants. Socio-political transformation processes, including changes in the government and its politicians, as well as the economic, cultural background and popular domestic and international discourses, have influenced the strategies, slogans, and formatting of the major demands of women in every historical period. What strategies and solutions did prior generations and pioneers of the Iranian feminist movement employ to overcome various hurdles and obstacles, especially in historical contexts, and what lessons can the younger generations of Iran and other nations learn from the Iranian feminist mothers? In the context of the strategic framework and the future outlook of the women’s movement, some criticisms and recommendations are provided in the end. In the century under review, Iranian society, particularly its gender relations, has been influenced by a number of interconnected internal and foreign variables, such as two nationwide revolutionary movements with contrasting ideologies, worldviews, and discourses. The first is the unfinished constitutional revolution founded on modernity and modernism and a partial end to tyranny; the second is the “Islamic Revolution” founded on fundamentalism and religious dictatorship. Numerous political-social, scientific developments, and new technological inventions, especially in communication and information systems, have accelerated awareness, the interaction between cultures, and globalization processes, including the global-local (glocal) spread of new discourses and values such as Human rights, democracy, sustainable development, environmental protection, equality, de-discrimination, and feminism; All of them have had global-local (glocal) consequences and laid the foundation for the dynamics of new social movements, including women’s movements in the world and Iran.

Aboriginal Nation: A strong Kimberley tertiary education narrative

Our past shapes our present. However, do Australian universities understand the ways historical discourses continue to shape them? Provoked by the findings of our empirical study implemented in Western Australia’s Kimberley region in 2018-2019, we conducted a critical text analysis of recent and past policies to seek historical explanation. As a research team, we noted a demand on behalf of Aboriginal activists to shift from the discourse of ‘problem’ to ‘nationhood’, during the first launch of the Aboriginal flag at the Aboriginal Tent Embassy in 1972. However, in our study we observed the ‘problem’ vocabulary lives on, impacting remote Aboriginal tertiary education through its deficit discourse and ‘gap language’. In this paper, we show how the future for remote Aboriginal tertiary education sits within our everyday narratives and explanations. It is to recognise Aboriginal knowledges, strengths, contribution and experience, or remain trapped by the deficit discourses of a colonial era. A strengths-based discourse acknowledges that Aboriginal people living in remote communities have the capacity, knowledge and ‘know-how’ to engage with tertiary education in culturally secure ways. Remote Aboriginal tertiary education could show the way to genuine socio-political transformation in Australia; and the Kimberley could lead this process.

FUNCTIONS OF THE INTELLECTUAL ELITE IN THE POLITICAL LIFE OF SOCIETY

The article analyzes the functions and role of the intellectual elite in political life. It is established that in a democratic society the intellectual elite plays a significant role, influencing all spheres of public life, including political life, including the formation of political elite, political consciousness and political culture of society, prioritizing its development and forecasting socio-political transformations. The division of the functions of the intellectual elite into four blocks is proposed. The main blocks of the functions of the intellectual elite in political life include: informing the public and explaining political processes and phenomena, forming political consciousness and political culture, goal setting in the development of society in general and the political system in particular, integration of society and rationalization of socio-political order. It is determined that the first block includes cognitive, consultative, controlling function, as well as critical reflection on vital areas of the social system. It was found that the second block of tasks of the intellectual elite is represented by the axiological function and the function of enrichment and development of intellectual culture (as a resource for the political development of society). It is established that the third functional unit consists of strategic, managerial and innovation functions. It is shown that the fourth block is represented by communicative, integrative, stabilizing, prognostic functions, as well as the function of structuring a new hierarchy and inequality and the function of rationalizing the existing order. It is substantiated that the main specific functions of the intellectual elite in Ukraine are related to the current political situation. In particular, it is determined that such functions as the preservation of spiritual values, transmission of knowledge and ideas, the ability to serve society, informing it, assistance in assessing events that are happening almost everywhere are projected on the intellectual elite. It is determined that due to their implementation the nation is consolidating, which is the key to harmonization of political life.

Mtanye revisited: new insights into the Middle Iron Age of southern Zambezia

ABSTRACT In southern Zambezia, the early second millennium AD witnessed socio-political transformations within local agropastoralist societies. Research continues to unearth evidence of multiple places that likely functioned as the centres of state-based polities. This paper reports on surveys and excavations undertaken at Mtanye, located about 50 km east of Gwanda in southwestern Zimbabwe and approximately 90 km north of the Shashi-Limpopo Confluence Area where Botswana, South Africa and Zimbabwe meet. Fieldwork identified local expressions of prestige such as stone walling, exotic items such as glass beads and evidence of long-term occupation with a successive layering and mix of K2, TK2 and Mapungubwe facies. Based on this evidence, it is therefore suggested that the similarities in material culture between Mapungubwe, Mtanye and other neighbouring sites like Mapela and Mananzve reflect social networks of shared ideas and practices rather than the existence of a single hegemonic state. Furthermore, the community at Mtanye deployed different strategies to survive and thrive in seemingly inhospitable drylands.