编号 7 (2025)

Аbstract. The monograph entitled «The Arrow of Time in the mass consciousness of Russians: assessments of the past, judgments about the present, and ideas about the future» (2024, prepared by a team of scholars at the National Sociological Research Center of the Russian Academy of Sciences. Edited by M. K. Gorshkov) allows to reflect on some typical current problems in recent Russian theoretical sociology. It would not be an exaggeration to say, that empirical component of the conducted research as well as generalizations of data obtained “in the field” and their comparisons with the previously collected data available to sociological science stand out for their qualitative excellence. Obviously, post-Soviet sociology in Russia bears the marks of 1990^th shallow hopes that interiorising theoretical achievements of their Western colleagues would eventually serve as a sound basis for development of social knowledge in 21-st century Russia. Against this historical background the theoretical facets of the monograph look rather modest, when it comes to issues of time and space, to relevant concepts and terms. At this level of theorizing, the questions arise for the reviewer whether the notions of “arrow of time” and “chronotope”, in particular, are at place to mirror respective realities in Russia these years and in the minds of respondents’ surveyed. To add, the image of future construed on the basis of information obtained in the surveys meets with certain difficulties in assessments of fundamental events and processes in the recent Soviet and Russian history.

The article examines the reasons and functions of the appeal to traditional values in modern Russia, India and China. Although innovations still play a leading role in tandem with traditions, appeal to traditional values has become an integral part of the official modernization discourse in all three countries. Given the increasing fragmentation of today’s world, these countries employ the traditional values in order to defend ideological sovereignty and resist the expansion of the Western values. In both Russia and China, after the end of the turbulent era of market reforms, the traditional values are invoked to unite the growth and stability. In India, the use of Hindutva’s values by the Bharatiya Janata Party and its allies contributed to their victories in the 2014, 2019 and 2024 parliamentary elections. In Russia, mass consciousness perceives the traditional values holistically as something own and good and, unlike the academic discourse, does not incline to analyse which kind of traditions, pre-revolutionary, Soviet, or universal this term refers to. In all three countries the appeal to traditional values effectively provides political and electoral support of authorities. Nevertheless, the realities of consumer society significantly limit the influence of traditional values on everyday life and demographic behaviour.

This article is devoted to the study of the dynamics of historical memory among Russian students regarding the Great Patriotic War. It is based on the results of five waves of the monitoring project “Students about the Great Patriotic War,” a federal study conducted by the Russian Society of Sociologists (2005–2025). The sample for the latest wave included 19,236 students from 82 universities across all federal districts. The article outlines the key milestones in the development of the monitoring methodology, critically evaluates its features, and analyzes empirical data characterizing the transformation of Russian student youth’s perceptions of the Great Patriotic War, as well as changes in attitudes and specific actions associated with this significant historical event for all Russians. The study demonstrates that understanding historical memory as a form of capital endows it not only with social meaning and significance, but also instills a sense of utility in its bearers, actualizing past experiences and expanding the possibilities for their application in the present and future. Under the influence of patriotic education, students’ interest in the Great Patriotic War has been increasing in recent years. For a growing number of students, the heroism and dedication of past generations are becoming exemplary. At the same time, the “memory deficit” and distortions that emerged at the beginning of the post-Soviet period are being overcome only very slowly.

The method of sociological autobiographies was tested in the project “Life course of generation transitioned to adulthood in the 1990s” to obtain the data on the life course of generation using the 100 autobiographies written for survey purposes by randomly selecting respondents from the generation born in 1960–1975. The method provides rich data on the list and sequence of life events, interrelations with different life events, periods and domains, causal relationships and consequences of varying life decisions. Limitations of the autobiographical method to study a life course is low standardization and high variability in data quality between respondents – completeness, logical sequences, included and excluded events, evaluative judgments, motivations and emotions. Respondents feature different perceptions and autobiography standards formed on bases of their previous personal and general cultural experiences, different views on private and public information, and the sensitivity to topics and issues of major impact on the data quality. The method was sensitive to each component of the task – title of the document, design of the form, guiding instructions, it is also demanding for financial and organizational resources. Uniqueness of information which may be obtained using this method stimulates the search for solutions to overcome at least some of these weaknesses. The proposed solutions are using autobiographies as supplement to other survey methods as formalized questionnaires with no quantitative samples, follow-up in-depth interviews after analysis of autobiographies or online methods of whiteboard for interactive autobiographies and probing questions.

The paper addresses the problem of the professional well-being of Russian scientists. The relevance of the sociological research is determined by the importance of an objective understanding of the processes occurring within the professional group of scientific workers, which becomes crucial in the context of achieving the objectives of scientific and technological development of Russia. The authors analyze existing approaches to defining and measuring professional well-being and conclude that most dominating approaches focus on the subjective and psychological measurements of professional well-being. This study aims to develop and validate a methodological framework for assessing researchers’ professional well-being by combining objective and subjective measures. The authors suggest that a sociological focus should be adopted and define professional well-being of scientists as an integral characteristic combining external professional success (the objective component) and the subjective perception of the degree of realization of socio-professional opportunities (the subjective component). To validate the suggested approach a system of indicators was developed. The authors hypothesize that subjective well-being is related to the achieved professional success. To test the hypothesis authors turned to the results on the online survey conducted among Russian scientists on a purposive sample (N = 536). The results of the survey showed some gaps between the objective and subjective parameters of the professional well-being as well as between eudaemonistic and hedonistic dimensions of well-being. High professional status is associated with higher job satisfaction and self-efficacy assessment, but they do not lead to high salary satisfaction and high assessment of the occupational prestige. Professional well-being is highly dependent on the employment factor. Unlike scientists working in various research institutes, university teachers have lower levels of the subjective professional well-being despite slightly higher levels of professional status.

The purpose of this paper is to analyze the influence of involved fatherhood and close relationships with the father on the development of family and reproductive attitudes in adolescents. It shows the contradictory and ambiguous nature of the family consciousness of adolescents; along with giving priority to their careers, being geared towards delayed parenthood, and weakening the standard of having children in a family, the majority of teenagers do not deny that their parenthood may be challenging, including responsibilities for a disabled or adopted child or raising children alone. They show acceptance and potential willingness to follow a new cultural norm – men’s involvement in caring for their children, “good” fatherhood on the basis of the equality of rights and duties in raising children between mothers and fathers. The paper identifies gender-specific aspects of the father’s influence on the development of reproductive and parental attitudes in adolescents for varying degrees of closeness of relationships with their fathers. The most pronounced attitudes typical of boys who have close relationships with their fathers reflect the significance of the paternal role, responsibility for the family and the birth of children, self-confidence, self-reliance, and ability to withstand difficulties. Girls develop more humane attitudes towards unborn children, tend to plan the optimal time for childbearing, realize the importance of father’s contribution to the upbringing of a child and of having children in wedlock. Those boys who fail to have close relationships with their fathers are distinguished by a mindset towards being single, seeking career achievements, individualism, unwillingness to take responsibility for a family and children, and infantile personality. Girls have attitudes that accept divorce, raising children out of wedlock and without a father, permissibility of abortion, and refusal to have many children.

The article presents a comprehensive analysis of narratives about adulthood as an age identity and a period of life in the context of contemporary Russia. Particular attention is paid to the age group 40–60 years, which often finds itself on the margins of social research and policy. The study, conducted in a qualitative paradigm, includes 22 biographical interviews with representatives of this age category, revealing their subjective experiences and perceptions of growing up. Participants define adulthood not through social markers, but through such internal qualities as responsibility, emotional maturity, and adaptability. The key challenges were external instability, associated mainly with the socio-economic and political situation in the country, the need to be responsible for both children and parents, approaching aging with its physical limitations, and professional uncertainty. However, despite these difficulties, middle age also opens up new opportunities due to greater financial stability, life experience and skills, as well as greater self-confidence and self-determination. Informants use these resources to change careers, obtain additional education, start business, and develop personally. The results show that adulthood is perceived not only as a period of responsibility and obligations, but also as a time of opportunities for personal and professional growth. The study participants note that despite external difficulties and instability, they strive to adapt to changes, rethinking their goals and opening up new horizons. Adulthood is not limited to social markers but includes emotional and moral aspects, creating a balance between freedom and responsibility. The article emphasizes the importance of understanding maturity as a dynamic and multifaceted process that requires individuals to be flexible and able to self-actualize in the context of modern challenges. As a result, middle age is not presented as a period of completion but as an opportunity to rethink life and adapt to changing conditions, while maintaining self-confidence and the desire for self-realization.

This article examines how the level of formal education moderates the relationship between material and symbolic predictors and anti-immigrant attitudes at the individual level. The theoretical framework of the study is group threat theory. Material predictors are the respondents’ income and labor market status. Ethnic and civic identity, individual religiosity, generalized trust are considered as symbolic predictors. The empirical material was survey data from the last fifth wave of the European Values Study (EVS2017) in 30 countries (total final sample size N = 26873) collected between 2017 and 2022. Confirmatory factor analysis was performed to construct the dependent variable and key predictors. The main method of the study was multilevel regression modeling followed by moderation analysis. Based on regional differences in attitudes towards immigrants, the sample is divided into two groups: Eastern and Western Europe. Interactions of respondents’ formal education with civic identity and income variables for both subsamples, and with individual religiosity and generalized trust variables for Eastern Europe showed statistical significance. Higher education is associated with more positive attitudes toward immigrants in Eastern and Western Europe, regardless of respondents’ income, suggesting support for the liberalizing effect of higher education across varying socioeconomic status. Regional differences in the moderations of civic identity and individual religiosity require further clarification. In Eastern Europe, education reinforces the effect of generalized trust on anti-immigrant attitudes. No such relationship was found in Western Europe.