Сорокин Павел Сергеевич

Университеты на перепутье: Высшее образование в России

2019 · BOOK · ru

Для того чтобы ответить на вопрос, как менять образование, чтобы оно становилось не просто одной из областей социальных обязательств государства, а двигателем социального и экономического развития страны, нужно в первую очередь знать то, как устроен сектор образования — существующие нормы и закономерности, которые отражают действия главных агентов образовательного процесса (население, государство, индустрия, образовательные организации). Большая часть дискуссии о том, как нужно менять систему высшего образования, исходит из общих представлений о ее функционировании. Однако детали имеют значение. В представленном докладе мы собрали те из них, которые, по нашему мнению, имеют значение для прогнозирования и проектирования трансформаций. Цель книги в том, чтобы читатели увидели систему высшего образования во всей сложности естественных процессов ее развития, которые связаны и с внутренней логикой системы, и с новыми внешними влияниями.

Национальные цели социального развития: вызовы и решения

2019 · CHAPTER · ru

Making Global Sociology in the Context of Neoliberal Domination: Challenges, Ideology and Possible Strategies

2018 · ARTICLE · en

This article discusses perspectives for making global sociology, which implies open and fruitful cooperation between sociologists from different locations, as well as enhancing our discipline’s positions in the field of social sciences and in extra-academic environments. Drawing on Wacquant’s ideas, we understand neoliberalism as a globally dominant approach to social regulation, combining market-oriented mechanisms in economic transactions and restrictive control apparatus based on the cultural imperative of individual responsibility, supported by the state. Intellectually rooted in European liberal tradition and supported by neoclassical economics’ conceptual frameworks, neoliberalism has shaped three interrelated challenges for global sociology. 1) Eurocentric conceptual apparatus within the discipline; 2) Domination of economics over sociology in the field of social sciences; 3) Marketisation of the academic world, promoting direct ‘profitability’ and making ‘public value’ of scientific knowledge less relevant. We argue that these three challenges generate a tendency towards negative ideological unity across a significant number of sociological communities worldwide, which tend to see neoliberalism as a multifaceted common enemy. Despite being evidence-based, this emerging global ideological unity in sociology is problematic, because it lacks a strong positive project. Instead of hostile attitudes towards internal and external agents affiliated with neoliberalism, the solidarity-orientated strategies may be helpful in building a truly global sociology.

‘Global Sociology’ from a Comparative Perspective: A Multidimensional Analysis

2018 · ARTICLE · en

This paper applies a comparative approach to analyze several dimensions of ‘Global Sociology’ from a normative stance based on a critical review of related discourses in sociological communities. The author reveals three major problems in intra-disciplinary, inter-disciplinary and extra-academic dimensions, manifested not only in ‘factual’ (objective) characteristics but also in ‘ideological’ visions typical of academic communities and connected with a negative stance towards global neoliberalism and its various agents: first, rigid vertical stratification of the international academic field, primarily, in terms of academic publishing and working conditions; second, negative tendencies in the status positions of sociology compared to other sciences, especially economics; and third, little cooperation with policy-makers and corporate practitioners combined with an orientation to supporting various discriminated groups against dominating powers associated with neoliberalism.

Seeking for the Definition of “Culture”: Current Concerns and their Implications. A Comment on Gustav Jahoda’s Article “Critical Reflections on some Recent Definitions of “Culture"”

2018 · ARTICLE · en

This article takes as a starting point the critical analysis of attempts to define “culture”, offered by Jahoda in 2012. Basing on the observed proliferation of various, often contradicting, definitions of “culture” (for instance, trying to refer to its both internal and external aspects), Jahoda arrives at the conclusion that attempts to define the concept of “culture” are vain and useless and it is quite practicable simply to use the term without seeking to define it. We find it hard to agree with this statement. Elaborating on Jahoda reflections and drawing on the recent debates in social sciences, cultural studies and philosophy, we argue that seeking for the definition of culture is necessary in the context of contemporary development of social and humanitarian knowledge. Moreover, we claim that the debates about culture indicate the need for a large-scale methodological reorganization of the social and humanitarian sciences, in response to the novel ontological congruence between internal and external, the fundamental “ontological shift”, “reversing the poles” of the human-related reality. The human individual becomes its core element and pivot. Other “objects”, “external” in relation to the individual (for instance, social structures and institutions), undergo such massive and rapid changes that grow progressively fuzzy and sometimes even less “real”, comparing to the individual. The “inner” nature of the individual also transforms: from being “subjected” to think, act and feel according to certain external conditions, an individual becomes an Actor, who is empowered to change the environment following his purposive plans, desires and visions.

The Ethical Challenge for Sociology in the Face of Global Modernity: toward Solidarity-Oriented and Ethically Contextualized Practice

2018 · ARTICLE · en

Sociology is facing difficult times: fragmentation within and between regional, national and international academic communities remains high while global interdependence and instability increase generating societal threats of unprecedented scale (progressing inequality, migration, ecological, political and economic crises). Ethical issues are very important for comprehending both: processes within sociology and transformations in the world around. Thus, we postulate the global ethical challenge for sociology, which requires: first, formulating the ethical stance of a sociologist towards the objects of disciplinary inquiry and the potentially involved social groups and, second, elaborating research tools adequate for studying the ethical dimension of the complex social reality. We demonstrate that dominating discourses in the current professional communities are largely inadequate and cannot effectively address this challenge. Drawing on Pitirim Sorokin’s theoretical heritage, as well as on John Meyer and Volker Schmidt ideas, we propose an alternative project of global sociology, emphasizing, first, solidarity-oriented and ethically contextualized sociological communication with various extra-academic audiences; and, second, sociologists’ ethical competence in exploring various localities and dimensions of global modernity with its progressively intersecting different (and sometimes contrasting) ethical systems.

Emiliana MANGONE, Social and Cultural Dynamics: Revisiting the Work of Pitirim A. Sorokin

2018 · ARTICLE · en

Given the growing dissatisfaction of international academic communities within the social and humanistic sciences, with their rigid and counter-productive self-referential practices of intra-disciplinary communication, the integrative and cross-disciplinary attempt by Mangone is eminently relevant. For sociologists elaborating on Pitirim Sorokin’s ideas, it may seem questionable that his vast intellectual heritage can serve as a proper foundation for promoting the arguably “new science” of Cultural Psychology. However, instead of using a single disciplinary perspective (sociology or cultural psychology), Mangone succeeds in persuading the reader to look at Sorokin from different angles—that of the dialogue between different disciplines as sociology and cultural psychology.

Глобальная конкурентоспособность российского образования. Материалы для дискуссии

2018 · BOOK · ru

Задача данного аналитического доклада — не просто представить обзор позиций России в различных международных мониторингах, как наиболее очевидных показателей глобальной конкурентоспособности, но критически проанализировать разные аспекты развития образования с целью поиска подходов к определению уровня реальной глобальной конкурентоспособности каждого уровня российского образования. Без решения этой задачи невозможно выбрать направления для концентрации усилий по развитию образования в условиях ограниченности ресурсов. Работа будет полезна не только исследователям и практикам из сферы образования, но и всем, кому интересны пути развития России как части глобального мира.

12 Solutions for a New Education: Report by the Center for Strategic Research and the Higher School of Economics

2018 · BOOK · en

Human capital is produced primarily by the education system. Today it is the most important factor in the development of economy and society. By investing in human capital, economic growth rates above the average world-level can be achieved, which is necessary in order to strengthen Russia’s positions in the context of increasing global competition. The report proposes 12 projects, aiming not only for the development of education, but for making a decisive contribution to the “breakthrough” of the country in economic, social and technological development by activating the creative potential of the Russian population as a whole and self-realization of each individual. The ultimate result of all the proposed 12 solutions will be a steady increase in the quality of life of the Russian people.

Vision and mission of sociology: learning from the Russian historical experience

2017 · ARTICLE · en

The present study demonstrates that the path of the “organic public sociology” (proposed by Michael Burowoy in his famous call of the 2004) as the dominating mode of sociological practice in the national context can be menacing with the serious pitfalls manifested in broad historical perspective. We reveal the four pitfalls basing on the analysis of the Russian experience through the last 150 years. First, the over-politicization and ideological biasness of sociological activities; second, the “personal sacrifice” of sociologist as a romanticized practice, potentially harmful for the discipline; third, the difficulties of the professional sociology institutionalization; fourth, the deprivation of the policy sociology development. Analyzing the history of Russian sociology in the context of the current international discussions, we give particular reference to the idea of the “Scientized Environment Supporting Actorhood” elaborated by John Meyer. We suggest the mode of communication between sociology and society, which, in our view, could be helpful for improving their interactions in various local, national and global contexts in the XXIst century. This mode escapes the political emphasis and ideological claims but rather concentrates on the more fundamental ethical issues. It also tries to overcome the limitations of the contemporary professional mainstream (instead of idealizing it). Finally, it presents itself to the publics in the understandable way, while remaining properly scientifically validated (however, avoiding the exaggerated accent on the statistical procedures and fitishization of the natural science’ principles (“numerology” and “quantofrenia”)). The public activities of the prominent sociologist Pitirim Sorokin in the American period of his career are a good example of this approach to the interactions with society.