Home – Home – Jornals – "Philosophy of Education" 2014 number 6

The article is devoted to the methodology of socio-cultural approach in the study of historical dynamics. We analyze the experience in the application of this approach to the research of socio-cultural dynamics of Russia. With reliance on modern versions of modernization theory we assume the possibility of making a distinction between modernization and westernization. This opens up a perspective of distinguishing, within the same historical period, of two or more cycles, each of which is associated with either westernization, or counter-westernization dominant idea of modernization, either has the significance which is transitional from one to the other dominant idea. The mechanisms of sustainable reproduction of westernazion and counter-westernization orientations in the process of government regulation of interethnic relations were brightly manifested, for example, in the alternation of mono-national (first quarter of the XVIII century, second half of the XIX century, 30–40s of the XX century) and multi-national (from end of the XVIII century to early XIX century, the first third of the XX century, 50–80s of the XX century) models of management of ethno-social processes. In this article the westernization trend of the government regulation is associated with carrying out a unification process (Russification) in the national politics, whereas the counter-westernization trend is associated with integration without homogenization. As a part of a single cycle, there are stably reproduced the pendulum oscillations of growth and decrease of activity of non-dominant and dominant ethnic communities, increase and stabilization of ethnic diversity, increase of inequity and levelling of competitiveness of ethnic groups. Three methodological principles are highlighted, which distinguish this approach from others when it is used in ethno-social studies: integration of three dimensions of human existence, revealing of persistent and changeable forms of socio-cultural dynamics, the orientation to the study of all forms of ethnicity.