Scholarly record

MULTI-ELITE CLUSTER CULTURE

A. Alekseev-Apraksin

Abstract

The objects of the research presented in this article are the processes labeled by cultural, philosophical and sociological discourse as clustering of culture and society. The topic of research concerns one of many tendencies of large-scale sociocultural transformation, known as multi-elitism by the author. Cluster communities formed by information facilities, free information exchange (being an "estranged experience"), and by interpersonal communication interactions are defined in the work as "projective" forms of solidarity. They are characterized by changes in the way of identification and personal identity; the cluster is defined as the spatial, temporal and logical unity of the event that forms the personal identity of agents involved in it. The novelty and dynamics of the processes of qualitative change in the structure and in the symbolism of reality traditionally described in science as global sociocultural diffusion, inspired the author to single out the phenomenon of "elite" and "elitism" beyond the bounds of prevailing political science interpretation as well as beyond the scope of elitology, a discipline currently emerging in Russia, and to offer a new concept of multi-elitism for cultural discussion. The author deduces the term from the actual plurality of social, intellectual, creative, economic, political, professional, religious, etc. elites as well as basing the idea on the subjective character of global development, i.e. the leading role of a person in the history, and also taking into account fundamental multidimensionality of social and cultural order. Cultural analysis and generalization of projective processes of clusterization performed in the article are based in particular on the large-scale empirical studies of "The Forms of Sociocultural Reflection of Youth" conducted by scholars of the Belgorod State University. The data of this research testifies that in Russia the forms of "atomization" of young people dominate the forms of self-organization. The article shows that the potential multiplicity of elitism and elitarism (some of them yet to be named) is now secured by new media being the basis of individuals' interaction in practice, by mythologization of public consciousness, as well as by the emergence of new cross-cultural reference points in determining successful trajectories of personality development and ways of measuring one's human dignity. Critical analysis of Russian realities brings about the necessity to identify markers of elitism; among them, the important is the ways of identity, motivation, modes of communication, the sense of responsibility to the community and involvement in the events therein.

Publication Impact Profile

No metrics available.

PLUMX see details

DOI resolver: doi.org/10.5593/sgemsocial2018H/61/S07.011

Publication details

Back to publication list