POLITICIZATION OF THE EUROPEAN INTEGRATION IN XXI-ST CENTURY: PARTIES, ELECTIONS AND IDENTITIES
POTENTIAL OF EUROPEAN IDENTITY AS A RESOURCE OF POLITICAL INTEGRATION (WHAT DID THE 2014 EUROPEAN PARLIAMENT ELECTIONS SHOW?)
Semenenko I.S. P.7–21
Key words: EUROPEAN IDENTITY, EUROPEAN INTEGRATION, THE EUROPEAN UNION, ELECTIONS, EUROPEAN PARLIAMENT, EUROSCEPTICISM, ANTI-MAINSTREAM, POPULISM, EUROPEAN UNITY IDEA, NATIONAL IDENTITY, CULTURAL DIVERSITY, NARRATIVE, EVERYDAY LIFE
Abstract:The article raises assesses the resource potential of European identity in promoting the European integration project. The build-up of efforts to generate common milestones of European identity by the EU institutions is a consequence of the rapid rise of cultural heterogeneity of Europe and of regional separatism, and of the financial crisis aftermath and tensions of welfare state constructions. The course of the European Parliament elections that took place in May 2014 demonstrates the frustration of a notable part of citizens with the European project. This compels to seek new support beyond the European institutions facing a lack of legitimacy. Key efforts are aimed at creating common European metanarrative involving famous intellectuals, by organizing open discussions on network resources, promoting thematic research activities, as well as cultural and educational projects generating space for the idea of the European unity in the everyday life of its citizens. Support of the European project from the grass-root level is defined by how much an individual can really benefit from it, how widely social practices and opportunities to participate in them are spread and how strong the image of Europe holds in day-to-day experiences of the European citizen.
Theoretic and methodological problems of European identity conceptualization arise from the necessity to define clearly the content embedded into the notion and to determine the mechanisms of its development. Forecasting of political perspectives and possible scenarios for the European project suggests a combination of political and institutional as well as social and psychological analysis, the assessment of dynamics of enclosed and overlapping identities, and, opportunities and limitations in identity development.
UNIVERSITIES IN CONSTRUCTING OF A EUROPEAN IDENTITY
Fadeeva L.A. P.22–31
Key words: UNIVERSITIES, EUROPEAN IDENTITY, ACTORS, PUBLIC INTELLECTUALS, DEBATES ON EUROPE
Abstract: The article is devoted to the role of universities in the process of European identity constructing. Author characterizes institutional framework of the process that was established by Bologna process and Framework programs of European Union. Author emphasizes the academic mobility significance for European identity. The article characterizes European intellectuals activity which is targeted identity definitions: European, regional, universities. Author describes both collective and individual attempts of prominent European intellectuals to find new perspectives for European project and its perspectives. On author opinion, they create European public as possible significant actor of European identity constructing. The author considers that universities as actors are rather academic communities than social institutions. European component is an important part of identity matrix of academicians and professionals.
As institutions universities escape to declare their mission in European identity constructing because of critical approach of public in respect of European project. Traditions of academic and institutional autonomy help to them in promoting European integration, but at the same time universities prefer to keep a distance from “Brussels”. University experts try to search efficient ways for interpreting of universities identity keeping European identity.
PROBLEM OF EUROPEANIZATION OF NATIONAL POLITICAL PARTIES IN THE MEMBER-STATES OF THE EUROPEAN UNION
Prokhorenko I.L. P.32–40
Key words: EU NATIONAL POLITICAL PARTIES, EUROPEAN INTEGRATION, EUROPEAN UNION, EUROPEANIZATION, EUROPEAN POLITICAL SPACE, NATIONAL AND REGIONAL PARTY ELITES, SOCIOLOGICAL INSTITUTIONALISM
Abstract: The article explores the problem of Europeanization as a transformation of national political parties within the framework of the European integration project. The author focuses on the organizational adaptation of the EU national political parties under conditions of а transforming international environment, which is emerging in the course of European integration and the complex dynamics of the EU political space. The appearance of new influential actors in the party apparatus and changes in the structure of the European political parties in connection with the processes of decentralization and federalization in the EU member-states are also analyzed.
The author uses sociological institutionalism as a research methodology, which combines advantages of organizational theory and neo-institutionalism. According to this analytical approach, the EU transnational space is regarded as an organizational field. In this case the phenomenon of Europeanization of national political parties may be generally interpreted as institutional isomorphism in line with the concept of the same name, proposed and elaborated by Paul DiMaggio and Walter Powell (e.g. DiMaggio and Powell, 1983).
EUROPEAN CITIZENSHIP AND CULTURAL DIVERSITY IN EUROPE: PROBLEMS OF CORRELATION
Kazarinova D.B. P.41–50
Key words: EUROPEAN UNION, EUROPEAN INTEGRATION, SOCIOCULTURAL INTEGRATION, EUROPEAN IDENTITY, EUROPEAN CITIZENSHIP, CRISIS OF MULTICULTURALISM, CULTURAL ENCLAVES, CULTURAL DIVERSITY, DEMOCRACY DEFICIT
Abstract: The article considers the correlation of the political and cultural in modern Europe, of pluralism as a dominant of its development and a complex process of institutionalization in the context of social and cultural diversity and contradictory external challenges. European citizenship is presented as a multilevel and multidirectional construct that is rationally established within the framework of the elite project. This raises the problem of the EU legitimacy and efficiency of its institutions in conditions of democracy deficit. Reasons for a noncontradictory development of different identity vectors are being searched for in the European discourse. Methodological basis of the research is recognition of the cultural pluralism as a political determinant, differentiation of notions of cultural diversity and heterogeneity.
EUROPEAN INTEGRATION AS A FACTOR OF TRANSFORMATION OF NATIONAL PARTY AND POLITICAL SYSTEM: CASE OF GERMANY
Pogorelskaja S.W. P.51–58
Key words: THE EUROPEAN UNION, EUROZONE CRISIS, EUROSCEPTICISM, “ALTERNATIVE FOR GERMANY” PARTY
Abstract: The author considers transformation of national party and political systems in the context of unresolved issue of the democratic legitimacy deficit in the European Union. The system of European political parties with their fractions in the European Parliament is not party democracy, as well as the EP itself is not equivalent to the national parliaments. The processes of European integration are changing institutional environment, where the traditional parties of old European democracies function, thus these parties are infringed in the habitual procedures of decision-making, and the space for internal political freedom is narrowed. The tendency has become especially evident in the process of the European Stability Mechanism promotion. As a result, anti-EU parties lift up their head and new movements are created. Before, the scepsis towards EU was automatically the reason for any party in Germany to lose political respectability, but now citizens join political initiatives or establish new parties. “Alternative for Germany”, party of conservative and liberal elites who found common ground during the Euro crisis, is gaining momentum. On the level of national governments even Eurosceptic parties are obliged to follow the interests of European integration, as they are involved into the system of European international treaties, but the EP level allows parties expressing their skepticism freely. The author considers that such development can result in antagonism between the European Council and the European Parliament in the long run, though the successful interaction of these bodies predetermines European lawmaking.
NATIONAL CONTEXT OF ELECTIONS AND THEIR EUROPEAN SIGNIFICANCE (CASE OF ITALY)
Kholodkovsky K.G. P.59–66
Key words: EUROPEAN PARLIAMENT ELECTIONS, ITALY, POPULISM, LEADERSHIP TENDENCY, BERLUSCONI, GRILLO, RENZI, STRUCTURAL REFORMS, AUSTERITY, ECONOMIC GROWTH STIMULATION, EUROSCEPTICS
Abstract: The author asserts that although the transformation of the European elections into a full-fledged institution is still an incomplete process these elections have an extreme significance for the prospects of the European Union, even if their agenda is determined not so much by European issues as by national ones. This is proved by the analysis of the European Parliament elections in Italy in 2014 presented in the article. The national agenda calling for thorough structural reforms prevailed during these elections. Despite the fact that Italy is one of the largest EU countries and one of its founders the Italian economy suffers from many weaknesses and the political mechanism is far from perfect. The parliament and parties have lost their authority. This has created favourable conditions for the emergence of charismatic leaders with populist programmes. Becoming leaders’ competitions the EP elections demonstrated the ambiguous opportunities behind the growth of populist tendencies in a number of the EU countries. Besides, their results strengthened the trend currently gaining ground in several EU countries to contest the tough budget policy pushed forward by dominant forces in the EU, and demands to promote economic growth and fight against unemployment followed suite.
THEORY AND METHODOLOGY OF PSYCHOLOGY
EXISTENTIAL EXPERIENCE AND COMPREHENSION AS METHODOLOGICAL PROBLEMS OF UNDERSTANDING PSYCHOLOGY
Znakov V.V. P.67–82
Key words: UNDERSTANDING, COMPREHENSION, KNOWLEDGE, EXPERIENCE, AN INCOMPREHENSIBLE THING, MYSTERY
Abstract: The article describes the methodological analysis of three tendencies of the psychological cognition development for last three decades. Firstly, the author analyzes the psychological studies of the information processing during the human thought, sometimes based on intuitive experience or logical knowledge. It is shown that a person has two different but interacting systems for the information processing according to the dual-process theories of human thinking. One system is focused on the heuristics, producing intuitive responses and the other one is based on analytical processing. Their descriptions correspond to the psychologists’ ideas of the Cognitive-Experiential Self-Theory (CEST) by S.Epstein and two cognition styles - rational and intuitive ones. Such scientific ideas are indissolubly linked with the existence of the integrated continuum of the methods for the world understanding: from paradigmatic to narrative and then to thesaurus. Secondly, it is proved that a modern person lives in the multidimensional world, consisting of the empirical, socio-cultural and existential realities. The events and situations in these realities are understood by people after the types “understanding-knowledge”, “understanding-interpretation” and “understanding-comprehension”. Thirdly, it is reasoned that a subject does not cognize the existential reality but comprehend. Therefore, the existential experience of a subject naturally includes not only unconscious knowledge and experiences, but also incomprehensible and mysterious things. It is proved that the incomprehensibility of the reality is one of the attributes of the being. The incomprehensibility does not mean the essential impossibility of understanding. Comprehension represents such type of understanding which is focused on the phenomena and the objects of the world, requiring extraordinary efforts to be understood. Comprehension is such apprehending of the whole thing, the parts of which a subject cannot cognize and describe in details for any reasons. Mystery was analyzed as a scientific and psychological but not mystical and fantastic phenomenon. Mystery is defined on the basis of psychology of thought in which a problem situation and a problem differ.
PROBLEMS OF EDUCATION
GLOBALIZATION, INTERNATIONALIZATION AND EUROPEANIZATION IN HIGHER EDUCATION: THE CASE OF ITALY
De Martino M. P.83–95
Key words: GLOBALIZATION, INTERNATIONALISATION, EUROPEANISATION, HIGHER EDUCATION, ITALY, EDUCATION POLICY
Abstract: Globalization, internationalization and regionalization are factors, which are playing a crucial role in the current process of transformation of the higher education systems at worldwide level. The Italian university system was not exempt from this deep process of transformation and in the last few years, it deeply changed to be able to respond successfully to these challenges.
The article aims to analyse the international dimension of the Italian university system, to explore how it was transformed by the processes of globalization and Europeanization and to investigate which strategies have been put in place by the Italian government and the Italian universities to face the new external challenges.
The first part of the article consists in a theoretical analysis of the main literature related to the concepts of globalization, internationalization and Europeanization. In the he second part of the article, the analysis is addressed to the international dimension of the Italian higher education system with references to the theoretical models elaborated in the first part.
This analysis shows that the Italian universities are following the global trends in their process of internationalizations, but certain critical aspects still persist.
SECURITY PROBLEMS
STUDENTS’ ETHNIC AND CONFESSIONAL IDENTITIES UNDER THE CONDITIONS OF WORSENING PROBLEMS OF CULTURAL AND CONFESSIONAL SAFETY OF THE MULTICULTURAL REGION
Dryagalov V.S., Topchiev M.S. P.96–112
Key words: CONFESSIONAL SAFETY, RELIGIOUS IDENTITY, ASTRAKHAN STATE UNIVERSITY, SOCIOLOGICAL RESEARCH, ETHNIC IDENTITY
Abstract: The article analyzes how change in balance of youth’s ethnic and confessional identities influence the system of cultural and confessional safety of the multicultural region. It is noted that the authors understand confessional safety not so much as a system to preserve the content of any confession and its religious aspect (which is more a prerogative of the religious safety) but as prevention of religion-based conflicts. A conclusion is made that one of the basic components of the mechanism for preserving cultural and confessional safety is correct formation of ethnic and confessional identity in the youth environment. The data of sociological researches which were conducted in 2010-2013 is a basis to track the dynamics of changes in ethnic and confessional markers of the cultural and confessional safety system in a multinational environment of the student youth. The poll was carried out on the basis of Astrakhan State University as this educational institution is an urgent platform to study the level of tolerance, cultural safety and to define to what extent the Astrakhan citizens feel comfortable, “safe” in such a multicultural and multiconfessional environment. It is explained with the fact that apart from representatives of the regional ethnic groups a number of students coming from the near and far abroad countries to the university are increasing year by year. Due to this fact a process of natural entry of others to the environment makes the majority of students definitely formulate their attitude towards representatives of other ethnic groups. The conducted research dynamics showed that the level of intolerance increased significantly over the three year period in the student environment. An anxiety level is rather high which indicates problems in stability of the cultural and confessional safety system. It causes the desire of a major part of students to leave the region after being graduated.
SOCIAL PSYCHOLOGY
PECULIARITIES OF THE ETHNIC TOLERANCE AND VALUE ORIENTATIONS OF THE STUDENTS OF THE UNIVERSITY OF THE RUSSIAN MINISTRY OF INTERNAL AFFAIRS
Verstova М.V., Verstov V.V. P.113–126
Key words: ETHNOS, ETHNIC TOLERANCE, SOCIAL TOLERANCE, VALUES, AND VALUE ORIENTATION
Abstract: The article describes the results of the study of the students (Russian: kursants) of the University of the Russian Ministry of Internal Affairs. It has been hypothesized that there are differences between the representatives of the Slavic and Northern Caucasus ethnicities in the ethnic tolerance, value orientations, and cultural value orientations. It has been found out that the tolerance indicators of the students, representing the Northern Caucasus ethnicities, are more distinct in comparison with the students of the Slavic ethnicities according to all the subscales “Tolerance Index”, developed by G.U. Soldatova and O.A. Kravtsova, especially in terms of the indicators of ethnic tolerance, tolerance as a personal feature, and common tolerance. The Test of Cultural Value Orientations was applied to determine the tendencies of the formation and development of the examined students’ culture. The test results have shown that the ethnical mentalities of the Slavic students and the students from the Northern Caucasus differ but both cultures mainly belong to traditional cultures according to the classification by F. Kluckhohn and F.Strodtbeck. They consider a person to be a living creature, depending on the immediate social environment. The study of terminal and instrumental values after the methods by M. Rokeach has produced the ambiguous results. In terms of terminal values, the characteristics of the groups have appeared to be rather similar (r = 0.810956 when p <0.05). In terms of instrumental values, the negative significant correlation between the value characteristics of the groups (r = – 0.1063 when p <0.05) was determined. It may cause that the students, having the same basic life values, prefer contrary values (means) to achieve their purposes.
The research findings prove the necessity to form and strengthen the ethnic tolerance of the students of the Slavic and the Northern Caucasus ethnicities in the conditions of the professional development during the study at the higher education institution.