Theory Of Society Research Articles

:The Masses Are Revolting: Victorian Culture and the Aesthetics of Disgust

:<i>The Masses Are Revolting: Victorian Culture and the Aesthetics of Disgust</i>

Enthusiasts or Fanatics? Some Aspects of Zinoviev’s and Hume’s Anthropological Projects

The logical sociology of Alexander Zinoviev represents the attempt to build a defi nitely scientifi c theory of society where human qualities are practically reduced to minimum and the axiological aspect is entirely excluded. Still, when creating such theory Zinoviev uses a particular anthropological concept and in the long run adds an ethical component. And this does not mean any violation of system logic, but constitutes the result of applying theory to the specifi c history of Russian society of the Communist period. It’s interesting to compare the purely theoretical approach of Zinoviev to the problem of society origin to that of the British philosopher David Hume. Hume, representing the enlightened paradigm, was convinced that not the most moral actions of certain individuals can turn around to the public benefi t in general. While examining Russian communism, Zinoviev follows a similar hypothesis. In doing so Zinoviev adds ethnological aspect to the anthropological one of his sociology: in particular, according to him, Communism in Russia appeared due to the specifi c qualities of Russian people. The theory of super-society, developed by Zinoviev, explains the global situation in the 21st century when two anthropological aspects collide:Russian communist and Western. The Russian project has suffered defeat in this collision and Zinoviev sees here the fault not only of the authorities but of the people as well.

Re-imagining the nation-state: An impetus from the pandemic.

In this article the positive lessons from the coronavirus pandemic are examined, focusing on the intensive activities of solidarity at the local, national, and transnational levels, the increase in scientific cooperation, the implementation of assistance policies by states, and the various endeavors of NGOs, religious communities, private organizations, wealthy and less wealthy donors, and charities to support individuals and groups affected by it. It is argued that the pandemic is not only a tragedy that revealed some of the disintegrative processes of global risk society but is also a matchless opportunity for acknowledging what can be (and is) done in the globalized world when guided by positives such as cooperation, coordination, and solidarity. Discussing the theories of globalization, nationalism, and cosmopolitanism, with special attention to Ulrich Beck's theory of reflexive society, the core point of this article is that, considering upcoming global threats of even greater magnitude, such as climate change, potentially deadlier pandemics, and nuclear conflicts, a new world order based on cooperation, coordination and solidarity between nation-states is not only desirable but necessary for survival.

ПРОБЛЕМА КОНСЕНСУСА ГОСУДАРСТВА И ГРАЖДАНСКОГО ОБЩЕСТВА В РОССИИ: СОЦИАЛЬНЫЕ ПРОТИВОРЕЧИЯ И ПЕРСПЕКТИВЫ

Objective of the study is to consider social contradictions and prospects in the development of civil society in Russia. The methodological basis of the research consists of civilizational and neoinstitutional approaches, as well as the provisions of the theory of civil society. Research results. This article analyzes social contradictions and prospects for the development of civil society in Russia. For the successful innovative development of the country, both attempts to preserve the paternalistic model of state-society relations and to plant a Western liberal model that is historically alien to Russia are equally unsuitable. The path of Russia is the path of an uneasy dialogue between the government and society in order to achieve their long–term consensus. Prospects of the study. The problem of relations between the state and civil society is of scientific and practical interest in connection with the need to develop civil institutions in Russia.

Introduction to special issue: The critical theory of society

The state of theorizing bearing on an explicit, contemporary, critical theory of society is first of all outlined. While contemporary conditions of scholarship are not promising in this respect, the potential of a distinctive critical theory of society nonetheless remains tantalizing. The mostly agreed, even if mostly only implicitly, core architectonic of critical theory is outlined as a foundation, though disagreements persist over the significance of the linguistic turn and context-transcendent versus context-immanent modes of theorizing. On the basis of the outline of the general architectonic, suggestions are made, pointing forward to the articles in the special issue, as to how the contemporary democratic focus of the theory offers inspiration for a more explicit, modern articulation. Such a theory would follow the lead of the first generation, but it would additionally take on board the multiple theoretical as well as social changes that have since occurred.

Social criticism in David by Miguel Ángel Rojas. An approach based on recognition theory

This article corroborates Theodor Adorno’s thesis, according to which art can be an interpreter of repressed suffering. Based on an interpretive analysis of the work David, by the artist Miguel Ángel Rojas, the possibilities of art as social criticism are shown, capable of showing the repressed suffering produced by forms of contempt and non-recognition of victims of the Colombian armed conflict, at the same time than the claims and desire for peace and justice of Colombian society, which turns the work of art into an instance of reflection, analysis and discussion about criteria for satisfactory forms of social life. The notions of social criticism and social art are based on the postulates of the Critical Theory of society, especially, on Axel Honneth’s theory of recognition.

Panentheism as cosmopolitanism: Karl Christian Friedrich Krause's conception of a global human league

AbstractKarl Christian Friedrich Krause (1781–1832) left for posterity an impressive and astonishingly contemporary corpus of philosophical creativity. Not only does it cover numerous topics of theoretical and practical philosophy, from a panentheistic-cosmopolitan point of view, but, in terms of the history of philosophy, it may be seen as one of the first works from a European pen which also appreciates the Indian roots of European thinking in their systematic importance. It combines them with Platonic metaphysics and Kant's transcendental philosophy to form a system of philosophy that is truly intercultural. In what follows, Krause's fundamental argument for panentheism is presented before it is argued that Krause's panentheism entails a cosmopolitan theory of human society according to which it is a postulate of practical reason to realize a cosmopolitan global league of humanity.

"A DIVIDED SPACE OF MEDIATIZATION: ROMANIAN CHILDREN AND THE INTERNET "

Media culture, stimulating the “fabrication of identities” under the conditions where common people, dangling between globalisation and atomisation, are afflicted by a “transfer of anxiety” asks for an efficient media pedagogy, understood as a new policy of media culture that maintains the distinction between popular and elite cultures, but demolishes the distinction between culture and communication: culture cannot be but communicational. In this framework, the present paper analyses the divided cultural space of the Romanian child who is caught between the internet society and the lack of simple and bare competencies of using the internet in its best ways. We draw the attention to the excessive interest of the internet use in the mediatized world and the receiver’s ignoring mediations aiming at practices, relations and social, cultural/ educational institutions. For the critical positioning in front of this socio cultural phenomenon media pedagogy is needed, understood as a critical theory of society in the context where communication became a phenomenon of total civilisation (Rachieru, 2001, 12).

Utopias and temporo-spatial invention: reading More with Marin

Louis Marin views Utopia as the organization of space in a discourse that finds its expression in specific texts from More's onwards. He argues that More's text contains non-congruent spaces - internal gaps and fissures in the geography of Utopia unwittingly betrayed by the description of More's traveller - and that these point to places of argument awaiting an as-yet unformulated theory of society in an era of capitalism. It is here suggested that, even as Marin thus presents Utopia as organized space, his analysis is driven by time, primarily the historical time that produces Marx, whose social theory Marin projects backwards on to More's work. Marin's retro-projective approach, for all the remarkable insights it generates, leaves underexamined the question of how early modern utopianism may be said to have imagined space in historical time and, in so doing, emerged as a tradition of invention.

The role of youth in shaping the information society of well-being in Uzbekistan

The transition of the world into the new information age is described in the article. The theory of the information society of well-being is presented, and the trends of changes in modern society are studied. Secondary processing of data from published studies of various scientists and organizations has been made. A statistical analysis of the dynamics of Internet consumption in Uzbekistan is made, and the impact of the Covid-19 pandemic on the usual way of life, the development of information and communication technologies and the well-being of people is analyzed. Conclusions on the consequences of the pandemic are made, and the influence of young people on the formation of an information society of well-being is substantiated. This article explores the significant role of youth in shaping the information society in Uzbekistan at a time of rapid technological progress. The article begins by highlighting the global transition into the new information age and presents the theory of the information society of the welfare state. It delves into the study of social changes and trends associated with the emergence of information and communication technologies. Drawing on a wide range of published studies by various scholars and organizations, the article provides a comprehensive secondary analysis of existing data. It examines statistical trends in Internet consumption in Uzbekistan, with a particular focus on the impact of the Covid-19 pandemic on people’s daily lives, the development of information and communication technologies, and the general well-being of individuals

Масса, сообщество, общность

Georges Gurvitch’s research paper summarises the Paris period of his scientific activity and introduces the results obtained during this period to the anglophone reader. Gurvich analyses the degrees of cohesion of various social groups and shows the relationship between group cohesion and the sociality (or sociability) of the individuals who make up these groups. The first Russian translation of this article, as well as its English-language original, are provided with the publisher’s notes, revealing the historical and ideological context of the formation of Gurvitch’s theory of sociability and the circumstances of the emergence of this article.

Categories of ‘Political Actor’ and ‘Political Agency’ as Research Objects of Polish Political Theorists

The aim of the article is to present the history of research on the categories of “political actor” and “political agency” conducted by Polish political scientists. The article shows how they were defined and how the theories of society and politics prevalent at a given time shaped their understanding. Initially, both categories alluded to the collective vision of activity, to finally appreciate the role of individuals in initiating activity. The way researchers viewed the significance of political actors was changing over time as well; at the beginning, social classes and subsequently large groups were seen as crucial, while individuals were only eventually recognised as the source of agency. The article demonstrates that both categories have changed over the years, adapted to new social order, social structure and, in particular, to the ideologies prevalent in society. The article pays special attention to the concepts developed by Mirosław Karwat and Andrzej Czajowski.

Informacioni sistem zaštite životne sredine Srbije - funkcionisanje, preduzete mere i slika u medijima i javnosti

The information technology revolution has among else led to the accelerated growth of the quantity and availability of accessible data as an indicatior of interactions in the ecosocial system. This study describes how atoms producing pollution translate into bites and digitaly transform into indicators and information. Through the example of the Serbian Environmental Information System, the study also shows how visualisation and effective communication are applied from the viewpoint of Luhmann's theory of society. According to Luhmann's theory, the society consists of closed systems of independent communications which continuously reproduce and develop by repeating their operations. The Serbian Environmental Information System represents a subcategory of the Luhmann's scientific subsystem and offers an answer to the question why there are, on the one hand, so many scientific facts on pollution, and on the other so few environmental measures that are undertaken. The answer lies in the fact that environmental pollution indicators belong to one social subsystem, while measures are expected to be taken within another social subsystem - law and economy, where each of them strives to preseve uniqueness and remain self-existent. According to Luhmann's social framework relevant for environmental protection, communication is a social system's response to environment that offers communicology a chance to examine the phenomena of environmental concerns in a more critical and detailed manner.

КОМПЛЕКСНЫЙ АНАЛИЗ СОДЕРЖАНИЯ ИМИДЖА РЕГИОНАЛЬНОГО РУКОВОДИТЕЛЯ (ПО МАТЕРИАЛАМ ОФИЦИАЛЬНОГО САЙТА ПРАВИТЕЛЬСТВА НИЖЕГОРОДСКОЙ ОБЛАСТИ)

The author studies the image of a regional leader in the communicative field of the Internet space. The objectives of the study are to establish thematic intentions in the symbolic content of the leader image, to display the ways of their implementation, as well as to identify the features of communication with other representatives of authorities and society. Based on the theory of the information society, the author analyzes the content of news messages posted on the official website of the Government of the Nizhny Novgorod Region for the period from November 27, 2021, to June 9, 2022, containing a mention of the head of the region. The study uses a set of applied methods, including quantitative content-analysis, network data analysis and linguistic analysis. The results of the study are visualized in the form of tag clouds and a thematic graph. The results show that the idea of goal achievement is the key one presented in the image of a political leader. The main topics of the image content were the interaction between authorities of various levels, economic development and construction, crisis management in the region, launching new projects and breakthrough decisions, and lastly close interaction between Russian regions and the center.

Information and network space as a form of social organization

The focus of the paper is on illuminating the changes in civilization brought about by the computerization of all aspects of modern life and the identification of the underlying principles and particulars of the “network society’s” social structure. In order to achieve this, the key theories of the information society have been clarified, and the socio-cultural changes of the present have been revealed on the basis of these theories. It has been demonstrated that informatization and the subsequent development of information and communication technologies, as well as the Internet network that they have brought about, have changed reality more than the basic tenets of sociality. The principles of information and network space – whose properties dictate the characteristics of social interaction – have emerged as a result of technological advancements that have changed how we think about space. Human communities are still created on a mental (cultural and psychological) basis in the information age, just as they were in earlier eras, but they no longer have a distinct territorial boundary. As a result, the person experiences a noticeably reduced amount of pressure from external instructions and narratives in the information and network space. As a result, the person can communicate with others freely and without any external prerequisites or justifications, and as a result, the process of its self-determination may have a wide range of unique characteristics that call for a separate, in-depth study.

Law Libraries in the Information Age: A Critical Perspective

AbstractThis article traces the influence of theories of the information society, originating in the post-industrial theory of Daniel Bell, on developments in law librarianship. It argues that the main thrust of this influence has been to foster a conservative professional culture that emphasizes individual professional development and technological solutions in lieu of critical engagement with the political and economic forces responsible for eroding public and collective norms.

Služenje vojnog roka kao deo društvenog ideala u Srbiji

Compulsory conscription in Serbia was established in the 19th century, and the military as a social institution rapidly became an indispensable part of the socialization process of citizens. It remained so until 2011, which lent credibility to the strategic considerations of deterrence and total defense of that time. The return of war to European soil actualizes the issue of society's readiness for defense in many European countries. Serbian society has changed significantly in the two previous decades, becoming largely described by Bauman's fluid modernity, and the capacity of citizens for armed and unarmed resistance in the event of war has significantly declined. Starting from the assumption that the suspension of the compulsory conscription remains valid, the authors examine the possibilities for increasing the interest of young people in voluntary military service, which is the subject of this paper. The aim of the paper is to show the necessity, justification and content of state incentives for young people who opt for military service, as well as to point out their probable social consequences. The theoretical framework of the work is the theory of the network society of Manuel Castells and his understanding of individuation as a cultural tendency of modern society that differs from individualism. The authors conclude that increasing interest in voluntary military service is possible by connecting individual projects of citizens with military service as part of a common, social ideal in Serbia. State incentives for voluntary military service and, subsequently, participation in the active and passive reserves, could be divided into three groups. The first would be incentives related to employment, the second would be cooperation between the state and civic initiatives and organizations, and the third would be incentives related to business and tax incentives.

Aprofundamento Neoliberal e Discurso Jornalístico no Brasil

The objective is to analyze some speeches, made by members of the dominant bloc (intellectuals, bureaucrats, etc.) about the Brazilian crisis and the solutions to resolve it, between the years 2015 and 2019, published in newspapers (O Globo, Folha de São Paulo, El País and Gazeta do Povo), as well as systematized in some books. We will first resort to a theoretical discussion, based on a Marxist theory of contemporary society (Viana, 2018, 2019, Orio, 2019, Almeida, 2020, Braga, 2020), with the aim of building a general understanding of the relationship between capitalist accumulation , Social blocks and discursive production in neoliberal capitalism. Next, we will carry out a dialectical analysis of the speeches (Viana, 2009b, Bajtín, 2010) published in newspapers, relating them to the construction of a consensus around neoliberal forms.

Digitalization and Critical Theory of Society

The article is presenting а critical analysis of the digitalization discourse which is reflecting not social innovations but managerial and bureaucratic appropriation of virtualization routine practices. Empirical data collected in the authors’ research show digital technologies usage turning into social routine in the Russian largest cities Moscow and St. Petersburg. For a full revealing contradictions and true direction of digitalization, development of critical theory of society is proposed as continuation of the dialectical line of the Frankfurt School neo-Marxism evolution. The totality of domination structures and social control forms in postindustrial society is analyzed on the basis of algorithmic rationality conception introduced by the authors. Algorithmic rationality has replaced technological rationality of the late industrial age. Post-virtualization tendencies and micromovements in everyday life are considered to be an authenticity revolt against total digitalization / coercive virtualization of social life. That authenticity revolt is interpreted as an emancipation potential and escape from the algorithmic rationality realm.

탈식민적 식민지 연구의 원점

In the 1980s, Korea achieved economic growth and democratization. Changes in Korean society came along with the global post-Cold War era. Japanese critical intellectuals tried to interpret the changes in Korean society. Satoru Nakamura, a Marxist historian, paid attention to the development of Korea and presented a new world history statue based on semi-developed capitalism theory. Hideki Kajimura, who led the study of modern Korean historiography based on the theory of immanent development, explained Korea as peripheral capitalism that develops dependently. Until the mid-1980s, South Korean critical economist Ahn Byeong-jik adhered to the theory of colonial semi-feudal society that denied Korea’s capitalist development. In 1985, with Ahn Byeong-jik’s study in Japan, a Korea-Japan joint research was planned to explore the historical conditions of Korean economic development. Critical intellectuals from both countries put their heads together for the first time and discussed repeatedly to historicize the colonial experience. Decolonization is possible by facing and historicizing the colonial experience. Ahn Byeong-jik accepted Nakamura’s semi-developed capitalism theory in the course of his joint research. However, this joint research cannot be simplified as the origin of colonial modernization theory. The Korea-Japan joint research on the history of Korea’s modern economy can be positioned as the starting point of the colonial research that began in earnest after the 1990s in that it attempted various empirical and theoretical analyses.