Social Conflicts as Pillars of Democratic Market Society

2014 ◽  
pp. 345-362
Author(s):  
Albert O. Hirschman

This chapter extols the virtues of bargaining, tension, and conflict as means to experiment and compromise—without leading to false consensus or conformity. Whereas much of social theory sees conflict and instability as debilitating, Hirschman spotlights their necessary strengths; these, the chapter argues, offer pathways to new ways of organizing societies and living democratically. Politics, for Hirschman, is thus an art; like Machiavelli he believes that one's loyalties come from a political life and do not precede it. Furthermore, the chapter cautions against the danger for a group of people to become fascinated with the idea of, or with the passion or Schwärmerei (enthusiasm) for, community spirit.


1994 ◽  
Vol 22 (2) ◽  
pp. 203-218 ◽  
Author(s):  
ALBERT O. HIRSCHMAN

2018 ◽  
pp. 169-180
Author(s):  
Nikolai A. Zhirov ◽  

On September, 21-23, the I.A. Bunin Yelets State University, supported by the Russian Foundation for Basic Research (RFFI), held an All-Russian scientific conference ‘In the time of change: Revolt, insurrection, and revolution in the Russian periphery in the 17th – early 20th centuries’. Scientists from various Russian regions participated in its work. The conference organizers focused on social conflicts in the Russian periphery. The first series of reports addressed the Age of Rebellions in the Russian history. They considered the role and the place of the service class people in anti-government revolts. Some scientists stressed the effect of official state policy on the revolutionary mood of the people. Some reports paid attention to jurisdictions and activities of the general police in the 19th – early 20th century and those of the Provisional Government militia. Other reports analyzed the participation of persons of non-peasant origin in the revolutionary events. They studied the effect of the revolutionary events on the mood and behavior of local people and the ways of solving conflicts between the authorities and the society. Most numerous series of reports were devoted to social conflicts in the Russian village at the turn of the 20th century, studied forms and ways of peasants' struggle against the extortionate cost of the emancipation, and offered a periodization of peasants' uprisings. The researchers stressed that peasants remained politically unmotivated; analysis of their relations with authorities shows that they were predominantly conservative and not prone to incitement to against monarchy. Some questions of source studies and methodology of studying the revolution and the preceding period were raised. Most researches used interdisciplinary methods, popular in modern humanities and historical science.


2018 ◽  
Vol 13 (2) ◽  
pp. 92
Author(s):  
V. V. Gorshkova ◽  
A. A. Melnikova

The article considers the contradictions and conflicts that are characteristic of modern Russian society. The processes of social disintegration are analyzed and interpreted as a result of fundamental social and economic transformations. The problems of economic inequality are presented in the historical perspective in close connection with the previous stages of Russia's socioeconomic development. Significant polarization of the population is one of the most significant conflict factors in modern society, which leads to an increase in protest moods and may in the long term threaten social upheavals. Nevertheless, dissatisfaction with the socio-economic situation does not lead to ideas of the unification and consolidation of society, but find expression in social conflicts. The emergence and development of social conflicts is influenced by a number of factors: economic, ethnic, religious. One of the most important characteristics of society is its social structure. After the collapse of the USSR, the previous social structure was abolished, and a new social reality was formed in Russia. When considering the stratification structure of society, most attention is paid to the middle class, which is considered the backbone of a stable society. The middle class in Russia is in the stage of formation, it is hardly possible to speak of a complete analogy with the middle class of Western society. The share of middle class in society can be estimated in different ways depending on the methodological approaches used by researchers. An important consequence of the transformation of the social structure was the problem of marginalization, since the dismantling of the old social structure and the slow formation of the new one put the social status and place in the division of labor system of many individuals into question. The sharp impoverishment of representatives of prestigious professions led to a reassessment of their situation, especially for the younger generation. When analyzing the origins of social conflicts in modern Russian society, it is necessary to consider the issue of the attitude of the broad masses of the population to power and national elites. It should be noted that power in Russia historically takes shape around specific leaders and does not have an institutional character. The most significant factor shaping the attitude towards the authorities and the elite in general in Russian society are the economic results of the market reforms that have taken place. Only a small part of the population believes that they won as a result of the changes that have taken place, the natural consequence of which is the population's distrust of the authorities and, in general, political institutions.


2020 ◽  
Vol 15 (2) ◽  
pp. 68
Author(s):  
А. Н. Сухов

This given article reveals the topicality not only of destructive, but also of constructive, as well as hybrid conflicts. Practically it has been done for the first time. It also describes the history of the formation of both foreign and domestic social conflictology. At the same time, the chronology of the development of the latter is restored and presented objectively, in full, taking into account the contribution of those researchers who actually stood at its origins. The article deals with the essence of the socio-psychological approach to understanding conflicts. The subject of social conflictology includes the regularities of their occurrence and manifestation at various levels, spheres and conditions, including normal, complicated and extreme ones. Social conflictology includes the theory and practice of diagnosing, resolving, and resolving social conflicts. It analyzes the difficulties that occur in defining the concept, structure, dynamics, and classification of social conflicts. Therefore, it is no accident that the most important task is to create a full-fledged theory of social conflicts. Without this, it is impossible to talk about effective settlement and resolution of social conflicts. Social conflictology is an integral part of conflictology. There is still a lot of work to be done, both in theory and in application, for its complete design. At present, there is an urgent need to develop conflict-related competence not only of professionals, but also for various groups of the population.


Author(s):  
William M. Lewis

This book brings together in compact form a broad scientific and sociopolitical view of US wetlands. This primer lays out the science and policy considerations to help in navigating this branch of science that is so central to conservation policy, ecosystem science and wetland regulation. It gives explanations of the attributes, functions and values of our wetlands and shows how and why public attitudes toward wetlands have changed, and the political, legal, and social conflicts that have developed from legislation intended to stem the rapid losses of wetlands. The book describes the role of wetland science in facilitating the evolution of a rational and defensible system for regulating wetlands and will shed light on many of the problems and possibilities facing those who quest to protect and conserve our wetlands.


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