Unity of Russian Society. Importance of Building Social Cohesion for the Security of Russian Federation

A sense of unity in any society is a great value. United society is a strong support for rulers and their policies. Public support often legitimizes the actions of rulers. Social unity is built on the basis of shared values and beliefs. The assumed goal of the research is focused on analyzing these categories in the context of their importance for building social unity. Such a goal has led to a question: What is the importance of these categories in building social cohesion for Russians? To solve the indicated problems, theoretical methods were used. Russians are convinced of the uniqueness of their society. This sense of uniqueness affects the sphere of security. It gives rise to their unwillingness to take part in formal alliances and international organizations, if Russia is not in a dominant position. Such views are deeply rooted in the consciousness of Russian society. Simultaneously, Russia airs grievances against the West, claiming that it does not notice its uniqueness.

The Politics of Social Cohesion

In contemporary liberal democracies, it is difficult to find a policy issue as divisive as immigration. A common worry is that immigration poses a threat to social cohesion, and so to the social unity that underpins cooperation, stable democratic institutions, and a robust welfare state. At the heart of this worry is the suggestion that social cohesion requires a shared identity at the societal level. The Politics of Social Cohesion considers in greater detail the impact of immigration on social cohesion and egalitarian redistribution. First, it critically scrutinizes an influential argument, according to which immigration leads to ethnic diversity, which again tends to undermine trust and solidarity and so the social basis for redistribution. According to this argument, immigration should be severely restricted. Second, it considers the suggestion that, in response to worries about immigration, states should promote a shared identity to foster social cohesion in the citizenry. It is argued that the effects of immigration on social cohesion do not need to compromise social justice and that core principles of liberty and equality not only form the normative basis for just policies of immigration and integration, as a matter of empirical fact, they are also the values that, if shared, are most likely to produce the social cohesion among community members providing the social basis for implementing justice. This argument draws heavily on both normative political philosophy and empirical social science. The normative framework defended is cosmopolitan, liberal egalitarian, and to some extent multicultural.

Starbucks and Aristotle

Aristotle argued that democratic participation in decision-making rests on informal encounters between citizens, because these interactions help to build civic friendships. In modern-day North America, the Starbucks corporation has posited itself as a “third place”, a space other than work and home that acts as a theatre for the development of civic friendships. In this essay, I investigate whether visiting Starbucks allows customers to connect to their larger community by providing the opportunity for meaningful social interaction. While Starbucks’ marketing strategies capitalize on the human desire for belonging, its expensive brand succeeds in differentiating citizens by their socioeconomic status, thereby undermining social unity. Furthermore, the environment in Starbucks stores emphasize experiences of personal pleasure rather than the enjoyment of community, as evidenced by the lack of authentic civic dialogue occurring within these spaces. As it encourages customers to settle for less than the formation of civic virtue, Starbucks’ commodification of community may challenge the flourishing of contemporary democracy.

Misdemeanor Crime Rates in the First Year of the COVID-19 Pandemic

Declared a national emergency on March 1, 2020, the Coronavirus Disease (COVID-19) has caused a major change in everyday life and crime statistics across the United States (U.S.). The research in this study aims to assess changes in reported misdemeanor crimes in Alachua County, Florida in the first year of the COVID-19 pandemic, as well as changes in the rate of misdemeanor crimes committed by certain genders and race demographics. Data was collected from the Alachua County Clerk of Circuit Court’s On-Line Court Records and Document Images Access Page from January 2019 to December 2020. The results of this study were consistent with the researcher’s hypothesis that the number of overall misdemeanor cases filed would substantially increase regardless of race or gender, likely as a result of social disorganization and community unrest. However, the original hypotheses that women and Black people would be seen committing higher rates of misdemeanor crimes in 2020 due to gender inequality and racial biases were rejected, with the data showing no statistical significance in the change in the number of cases filed for these populations. A potential explanatory factor for these findings is an overcommitment of responsibilities put upon women and girls, and a fear of racial prejudice and lack of social unity amongst Black people. These findings are important to highlight latent functions of state ordinances enacted to mitigate the spread of COVID-19, and to spotlight necessary crime control and reduction techniques that must be implemented simultaneously to adapt to the “new normal.”

No Capitalism Without Nationalism

Most theories of nationalism labelled as ‘modernist’ tend to overlook the fact that the phenomenon to which they vaguely refer as ‘Modernity’ is defined by a single, very precise and consistent socio-economic system, that of capitalism. However, this fact makes nationalism and capitalism, rather than nationalism and ‘Modernity’, practically congruent. From this perspective, the essential question that arises is whether the emergence of these two was a spontaneous but compatible and useful coincidence, or nationalism was capitalism’s deliberate invention? In the capitalist era, society has become merely a resource whose existence enables functioning of the market. Such a society must destroy all traditional communal ties on which the maintenance of traditional society was based, so that the principles of reciprocity and solidarity be replaced by the procedures of asymmetric economic exchange. Once the procedures of asymmetric economic exchange become the central principle of human relations, society stops functioning as a whole and becomes sharply divided into two parts – a well-organised and tightly-structured network of self-interested individuals permanently striving for perpetual economic gain and a shapeless mob of socially dislodged labour permanently striving for mere survival. The incessant widening of the gap between the two strata makes capitalism’s essential principle of endless accumulation of capital socially unsustainable. For, rapidly urbanised masses, forced into selling their labour below the minimal price, contain a permanently present insurrectionary potential that might threaten stability of the entire system. So, bridging that gap without actually changing the structure of society becomes the paramount task for the system trying to preserve its mechanism of incessant exploitation of labour and limitless accumulation of capital. Therefore, the system has to introduce a social glue that is tailored to conceal, but also to cement, the actual polarisation of society. At the same time, this glue is designed to compensate the uprooted masses for the loss of their authentic identities by replacing these with a single artificial one. This multi-purpose invention is an abstract concept of absolute social unity, named “the nation”, based on the assumption that those who are located on both sides of the gap, no matter whether they are on the exploiting or exploited side, automatically share the same equal rights, same common interests, and same identity.

Raskolnikov on the Way to ‘Holy Russia’: Hermeneutics of Raskolnikov’s Image in F. M. Dostoevsky’s Crime and Punishment

The image of Raskolnikov in F. M. Dostoevsky’s novel Crime and Punishment has been widely researched and commented upon. However, suggesting a particular approach to the material — that of hermeneutic linguistics — and focusing on the problem of holiness (two essential principles of this article) provide new results in understanding the content of Raskolnikov’s image, the direction of its development, and the inner plot of the novel’s epilogue. The paper focuses on defining markers of the idea of ‘Holy Russia’ in the image of Rodion Raskolnikov as well as the role of ‘holy’ symbols both in its own development, and, through it, in the novel’s overall plot. Particular attention is paid to intertextual connections of the novel with the New Testament and established prayers, as well as to temporal and topic religious symbols referring to the hero. The paper argues that both the ideals of ‘Holy Russia’ and Dostoevsky’s ‘Russian idea’ play a significant role in the development of the plot and the hero’s character. It also analyzes the connection of the hero’s inner journey (his spiritual and moral fall and his later rebirth) with embodying the ‘Russian idea’ in the image of an intellectual in the novel. The hermeneutic research demonstrates that Dostoevsky, bringing his hero through the abyss of ‘theoretical’ temptation, inner schism, and jail, discovers in him those powers that can become sources of transformation for his soul and his life, putting him on the way to holiness. The image of Raskolnikov appears to be charged with meanings connected with the ideals of ‘Holy Russia’ both in terms of individual transformation (the way to holiness) and in terms of social unity (the way to self-sacrificial service, mutual Christian love, and the common good).

Le système juridique unitaire à l’epreuve du droit coutumier : la nécessité d’une territorialisation du droit

"The French State is a unitary State as opposed to federal States, in which there is one Constitution providing for provisions applicable throughout the territory of the French Republic. Unity can be found in a legal unity first, in this the unitary Law is the one that does not admit of territorial differenciation. A political and organic unity, since there is only one Parliament, one Government. A social unity eventually, which consists of the admission of a single French people. If the French tradition is based on a centralized system, the implementation of the process of territorial decentralization led to reconsider the uniformity of the Law precisely with the question of territorial differenciation and territorialisation of Law. The present study proposes to return to the consideration by unitary Law of local territories including the overseas territories with the problem of reconciling such a system with customary Law. Keywords: unitary Law, customary Law, territorial decentralization, territorialisation of Law, the overseas territories "

Evaluating the “United Monarchy” of Israel: Unity and Identity in Text and Archaeology

The article argues that many interpretations of the so-called “United Monarchy” of Saul, David, and Solomon are built upon false assumptions and problematic hermeneutics, not to mention that they draw upon anachronistic terminology. The article provides a brief overview of the use of the terms “United Monarchy” and “Davidic/Solomonic Empire” in modern scholarship before turning to recent attempts to theorize and model ancient monarchies, including the ways in which ancient kingdoms controlled territory and how leaders legitimized their power and expressed their authority in a manner that unified their constituencies. From there it re-evaluates the biblical portrayal of the monarchies of Saul, David, and Solomon, considering in particular the nature of early Israel’s political and social unity and identity, before turning to the potential archaeological correlates of political power during the reigns of these kings.

Music Performance Policy during Covid-19 Crisis: Expectations Versus Reality

This paper examines public discourse on web pages and social media as a form of digital ethnography during the COVID-19 crisis. During the "lockdown" in Indonesia, internet traffic increased, creating new habits for performance music. A total of 657 tweets, YouTube talk shows, and online news pages were analyzed using NVIVO12. The data was taken using 'Ncapture,' 'Word Frequency,' and 'Sociogram Analysis.' Each keyword was analyzed as a representation of a particular musical problem during the pandemic. The goal is to identify differences between government policies and their implementation. Online activities explore a variety of things about music during the pandemic. The conversation continued with the awareness that the musicians would be offering their peers. Collective sentiments were more stressed during the COVID-19 crisis, giving rise to social unity. The theory of cooperation between music workers is a solution that can be implemented

Contacts of social life: the role and influence on formation of a harmonious person and happy society

Discussed is the problem, concerning development of person and society along the path ordained from above. The authors stand on the position that only through social contact, communication and cooperation in the spirit of hope for a happy future, a person and humanity will be able to achieve their true purpose and greatness, become a society of love and harmony, where in their relations there will be no sign of violence and anxiety for the future. The authors note that it is the act of social interaction (social contact), based on principles of love, trust, understanding, and consent, that can change both a person and the whole society. Despite the most difficult situation associated with the pandemic and long-term self-isolation, the spirit of social unity, the desire to strengthen social contacts, and support one’s closest people who have fallen into a difficult life situation, has manifested itself in the Russian community.