FORMATION OF REGIONAL COMMUNITY SUBJECTNESS IN RUSSIA: A SOCIO-CULTURAL ASPECT
V.P. Babintsev, G.N. Gaidukova, Zh.A. Shapoval
Belgorod State National Research University, Belgorod, Russia
Keywords: Region, regional community, subjectness, axiological-semantic complex, identity, sociocultural constants, values, social norms, behavior patterns
Abstract
The article aims to analyze the sociocultural foundations that shape the so-called “subjectness" of regional communities in modern Russia and identify their potential and limitations in increasing the autonomy of the Russian Federation’s constituent entities in constructing social reality. To achieve this, we draw upon the identity theory developed by several foreign and domestic researchers, as well as the sociocultural dynamics theory by P. Sorokin. The research is based on an empirical sociological study, “Renovation of Sociocultural Constants as a Factor of Reproduction and Development of Regional Communities," conducted by the authors in Belgorod Oblast in 2021. The study included three methods of data collection. Firstly, a questionnaire survey was conducted among 500 participants, picked by their place of residence, gender, and age - a zoned quota sampling technique. Secondly, an expert survey was carried out involving 30 experts, who were selected based on their research experience in sociology, as well as their published works on topics related to the sociology of culture and the sociology of region. Finally, the researchers conducted focus-group interviews with 32 participants divided into three groups: youth, employees of budget institutions in the sociocultural field, and mass media workers. The study revealed that most respondents were not willing to identify themselves with the region, and they had doubts about the existence of a community formed within its borders. Therefore, we conclude that identity plays an insignificant role as a prerequisite for establishing subjectness in regional communities. Additionally, examining the participants’ dispositions allows a fairly critical assessment of the potential for increasing the level of subjectness within the regional community. This is done through the actualization of a specific axiological-normative complex, consisting of values, norms, and behavior patterns that can facilitate the consolidation or integration of the society.
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