Zhurnal sotsiologii i sotsialnoy antropologii (The Journal of Sociology and Social Anthropology)

The reproduction of collective identity, or why the Kuban Cossacks need ritual collective actions

Ilya A. Puzankov — 2025-06-27

The social community of the Cossacks, as well as, in particular, the Kuban army, becoming an increasingly prominent player in the socio-political field, is a fairly relevant object for consideration from various research positions. The article is devoted to the dynamics of traditional (or non-traditional) collective actions of the Kuban Cossacks, considered through the concepts of affectation, commemoration, performativity and ritual. This study analyzes various collective actions within the Cossack community (parade, commemoration, circle, etc.), each of which serves both as a "workshop" of construction and a stage for the manifestation of collective identity. In the theoretical section, the main concepts used in the analysis of empirical material are considered, and their interpretation is carried out in relation to the object of study under consideration. The empirical part focuses on the analysis of performative and ritual elements inherent in Cossack gatherings. The author deconstructs ritual collective performances through the analysis of ethnographic observation data, emphasizing the affective resonance and historical symbolism inherent in each action. Through affective interaction, ritual performances and the resulting collective solidarity, participants are involved in the (re) production of Cossack identity, relying on the rich cultural heritage and collective memory of the community. The rituals studied, from donning traditional uniforms to reciting prayers and electing chieftains, play a key role in shaping and consolidating the collective identity of the Cossacks and strengthening the sense of belonging among the participants.

The socio-demographic profile of the poor population of the Republic of Tyva

Organa D. Natsak — 2025-06-27

The problem of poverty remains relevant for Tyva — despite a decrease in its level, the republic remains one of Russia's worst regions in terms of this indicator. This study aims to analyze the socio-demographic profile of poverty and the self-assessed material well-being of the republic's population. The article is based on statistical data and the results of a sociological survey on the socio-economic status of residents of the Republic of Tyva, conducted in 2023. The article shows that, unlike several Russian regions where the poor population is predominantly urban, a significant portion of the poor in Tuva are concentrated in rural areas. Most low-income households are multi-member and include children under 18. Among different family types, single-parent families are in the most challenging material situation. Despite a decrease in poverty and an increase in actual final household consumption in Tyva in recent years, a significant disparity remains between low-income households in Tyva and their counterparts in other Russian regions regarding housing deprivation and access to durable goods — the level of deprivation is higher for this population group in the republic. An analysis of the socio-demographic profile of the least well-off segment of the population, based on their self-assessed material standing, revealed that this group predominantly comprises rural residents, men, individuals above working age, the unemployed, and, in terms of marital status, divorced and never-married individuals. The study's findings may be useful in developing a regional poverty reduction program and shaping family policy strategies.

“Third sector” approaches to the social integration of children with migration experience: an intersectional analysis

Igor S. Mikheev — 2025-06-27

The development of theoretical and methodological principles of intersectional analysis made it possible to critically examine the problems of inclusion and diversity management policies in the Russian non-state educational space. This article answers the question of how an intersectional lens can improve comprehension of which way social and cultural disparities are interpreted in the process of migrant children's integration by formal agents. Using materials from a qualitative empirical study, the author attempts to critically analyze the attitudes of formal agents towards the integration process and provides a conceptual assessment of their social role and constructed educational trajectories. During the research process, empirical material was analyzed that had been collected over several years: in-depth interviews with employees of non-governmental educational organizations and non-profit integration initiatives who had experience working with children from migrant families. By identifying key intersections of the dominance matrix, we found that the domains of gender, body, ethnicity and socio-economic class can occupy primary and secondary positions in relation to each other. Thus, it is concluded that for a more detailed understanding of the causes of inequality and the production of mechanisms of discrimination, it becomes necessary not only to take into account the multiplicity of identity characteristics, but also to pay analytical attention to their position. Essentialist assessments of the identity of children from families with migration experience record the intersections of the secondary domains of gender, body, and class with the primary domain of ethnicity. The last domain is understood by informants as a “problematic” characteristic, which is targeted by practices of re-education and denial of the legitimacy of children’s cultural heritage, and this, in turn, contradicts the values of inclusive education.

Stand-up in Russia: an (un)funny and (non)toxic profession in the context of new creative spheres of professionalization

Dmitry A. Omelchenko — 2025-06-27

The professionalization of stand-up comedy is examined in the broader context of creative careers embedded in the creative industries of contemporary Russia. Drawing on the analysis of biographical interviews with standup comedians in Russian cities, an analysis of the development of career paths alongside the formation of professional identity is proposed. Emphasis is placed on the uncertainty and instability of employment combined with the accessibility and comparative independence in the shaping of work routines, which makes the choice of such career paths attractive and, at the same time, risky for young people. Authors identify local peculiarities and stages of standup comics' profession formation, ways of comedians' adaptation to the conditions of the local creative industry. Attention is drawn to the markers of attributing oneself to professionals, the characteristics of one's career development in the conditions of ambiguity of its definition. Based on a consideration of informants' narrative stories about the production of comedy itself, the choice of comedic accents and joke subjects, including toxicity within professional communication and attitudes towards censorship, an analysis of their own contexts of professionalization, work and career, status hierarchies in relation to the financial non/stability of stand-up comedy, and the transformation of their experience from amateur to professional is offered. In conclusion, an analytical option is offered to standardize and categorize the stages of career and professional participation of young comedians in contemporary Russia. The study contributes to the understanding of how young people adapt to changing labor market conditions and form new professional identities in conditions of instability and uncertainty.

Caring for mental health in the self-preservation strategies of Russians

Natalia A. Lebedeva-Nesevria — 2025-06-27

Negative dynamics of the population's mental health indicators in the last decade has formed a discourse in the scientific community about a "silent pandemic" that requires consolidation of state, public, group and individual efforts to prevent mental disorders. Self-care focused on prevention, recognition and coping with negative symptomatology is seen as a basic condition for successful counteraction to stress, anxiety and depression. The present study, implemented in the paradigm of mixed methods research, attempts to describe the everyday practices of Russians in the sphere of mental health care. Based on the analysis of 39 semi-structured interviews conducted in the fall of 2023 with residents of Russian megacities, five groups of caring practices were identified: 1) social practices, 2) psychological (seeking professional help, psychological self-help), 3) spiritual / meditative practices, 4) physical (sports, walking), 5) recreational, 6) taking medicines / folk remedies, 7) work (as a way to "switch"), 8) destructive practices (alcohol consumption, smoking). Using content analysis of health discourse in social media for the period from January 1, 2018 to August 31, 2023 (n=144906 messages), we assessed the prevalence and dynamics of the highlighted groups of practices. Taking care of mental health consists predominantly in various forms of physical activity, as well as "destructive" practices (alcohol consumption, stress eating). In the "post-pandemic" period, caring practices are more individualized and medicalized, but not professionalized, and the discourse about them becomes more reflexive. In general, the prevention of mental disorders is not included in the core of Russians' self-preservation strategies, which actualizes the question of the need to improve the system of risk communication and attracting effective tools to motivate self-care.

Communication failures between interviewers and respondents in mass telephone surveys on the topic of the Russian-Ukrainian conflict

Vladimir B. Zvonovskiy — 2025-06-27

A sociological interview is a dialogue between the interviewer and the respondent, during which information is exchanged. If a part of it is lost during this exchange, then the survey results turn out to be distorted. Since respondents do not always understand the questionnaire questions correctly and sometimes their answers do not fall into the proposed scale of options, and interviewers may make mistakes when reading out the question and building communication, it seems important to investigate the problem of communication disruption between the interviewer and the respondent in mass telephone surveys. The sensitivity of the survey topic may contribute to an increase in the number of communication disorders. Our previous research shows that the topic of the Russian-Ukrainian conflict is sensitive. During the fighting, a number of mass surveys (mainly telephone) were conducted on the attitude of Russians towards them, however, the final data distributions are subjected to detailed analysis, while communication violations that occurred during the interviews themselves remain outside the research. This paper attempts such a study. We analyzed audio recordings of a massive All-Russian telephone survey (N=1619). A total of 200 randomly selected audio recordings of successful interviews were listened to. The methods of content analysis and traditional qualitative analysis of documents revealed and described communication violations between interviewers and respondents. The following results were obtained. Communication violations are divided into those that occurred 1) due to the respondent's reaction and 2) due to the mistakes of the interviewers. In 137 cases, violations occurred for the first reason, and in 89 — for the second, i.e. problems on the part of respondents are more often the causes of communication violations than the mistakes of the interviewers. Most often, violations of the dialogue due to respondents' reactions are caused by the respondents' incorrect understanding of the questionnaire questions. The most common mistake of interviewers is to formally follow the instructions without taking into account the communication situation. In case of communication violations, the parameters measured by the questionnaire are sometimes significantly distorted. On the one hand, the reason for this is the respondents' understanding of the meaning of the question not in the way that was laid down by the compilers of the questionnaire. On the other hand, interviewers who make communication errors when voicing the text of a question also contribute to such distortions, although much less often. As a result, the information circulating between the sociologist, the interviewer and the respondent may be distorted by following this chain. Although fundamental distortions that destroy communication are relatively infrequent, the prevalence of communication disorders affects the quality of the data obtained in the dialogue between the interviewer and the respondent.

Parental evaluation of social intervention effectiveness in families with children at risk

Roman N. Abramov — 2025-06-27

Evidence-based social policy has become a prevalent approach to managing social programs, relying heavily on evaluation procedures often intertwined with sociological methods. This article analyzes the implementation of one such evaluation procedure—feedback from recipients of social intervention—within a comprehensive assessment of an interdisciplinary team's intervention technology addressing child rights violations. Interviews with family members participating in the program were conducted. Findings indicate progress and resocialization within families, demonstrating increased awareness of their problems and engagement in efforts toward social normalization. However, this perspective contrasts with the more optimistic evaluations provided by experts and specialists. While family members acknowledged progress and viewed it as hope for a better future, their confidence in overcoming existing problems was less pronounced. Nevertheless, the study documents demonstrable progress, including a reduction in child abuse cases attributable to the intervention technology. This success is significantly linked to the advanced skills of the specialists implementing the technology and their altered approach to case management. The empathetic and collaborative approach of the caseworkers, coupled with the technology's components, fostered optimistic expectations among clients, motivating them to change their lives and break cycles of dependence, poverty, and domestic violence. The study, however, also reveals limitations to the technology's applicability, particularly concerning families with low initial resources and complicating factors such as alcohol and substance abuse. Furthermore, interaction with caseworkers and other specialists fostered the acquisition of new skills, including a familiarity with the language of psychology and social work. This, however, also presents a potential risk of dependency and reliance on continued support. This article contributes to the methodological advancement of evidence-based social policy.

Public participation in resolving issues of social infrastructure development

Olga V. Rogach — 2025-06-27

The readiness of local residents to participate in solving issues of developing the social infrastructure of municipalities is analyzed; problems and opportunities for increasing the level of involvement of citizens in these practices are identified. The leading research method was a questionnaire survey (N=844). The results of the study showed that the majority of respondents would prefer to change their place of residence if the appropriate opportunities were available. Migration sentiment is determined by the low level of satisfaction of residents with the level of development of urban infrastructure. The majority of respondents are characterized by low participation in real practices of social infrastructure development, transferring their activity to digital communities and city chats. The motivator for participation is to obtain information about the problems of their place of residence, much less often to articulate their civic position or inclusion in infrastructure development projects. One of the factors reducing the population’s readiness to participate in the development of the infrastructure profile of a municipality is a lack of faith in the ability to influence something. The results of the correlation analysis showed a relationship between the choice of preferred forms of participation of the population in solving issues of social infrastructure development and the perception of problems in the activities of local governments. Subjective assessments of the high level of local corruption and the unreasonableness of spending budget funds initiate the orientation of residents to participate in the implementation of the functions of public control over the development of the municipal budget. The study found that modern urban residents mostly have a negative attitude towards initiatives that involve personal financial contribution to the modernization of infrastructure facilities. A relationship has been established between the level of trust in local authorities and support for the practice of co-financing urban infrastructure development projects. In conditions of a lack of trust, the key areas of activity of municipalities may be the following: accumulation of reputation capital, reducing the distance between the authorities and residents, information openness, transparency of budget policy.

The representation of human-animal relations in periodicals: a case study of a St. Petersburg newspaper

Irina V. Ivleva — 2025-06-27

How do we explain a surge of interest to animals expressed by urban residents in traditional and digital media? What is the part that printed periodicals play in animal representation? What are the principles and attitudes St. Petersburg residents have when it comes to animals? How welcoming is the city to them? An answer to all those questions can be found via factual studies. In this article, we analyze the public discourse taking place in the Metro St. Petersburg newspaper in 2022–2023. The method we use is not typical for anthropology, but when we focus on contemporary studies, we have to adapt methods and methodologies borrowed from other scientific fields. This article exists at the intersection between anthrozoology, media anthropology and urban studies. The newspaper raises issues of environment and biodiversity preservation in large cities, discusses animal rescue efforts, animal shelters, animal-focused art and business, dog friendly spaces in the city, lives of animals in Leningrad Zoo. Other pressing issues, including animal cruelty, pet ownership regulations, homeless animals, dog/cat hoarding in a single apartment, dog owners’ groups in a large city, animals’ aggression, etc. go virtually uncovered. This can be explained by the fact that the newspaper largely serves the functions of entertainment and compensatory/anti-stress. It produces anthropomorphic language and images that should be avoided, as they impart pets with needs and desires they simply do not have. Obviously, the discourse taking place in that St. Petersburg newspaper pertains mostly to humans because animals are incapable of having a voice. But in any case, the protection and rescue of animals in an urban context requires attention and new studies.

Book review: Shmerlina I.A. (2022) Sociology of social forms: reassembling the theory. Moscow: FCTAS RAN. –– 157 р.

Denis S. Gvozdikov — 2025-06-27

Book review: Shmerlina I.A. (2022) Sociology of social forms: reassembling the theory. Moscow: FCTAS RAN. –– 157 р.