Modernization of Family in Russia and China: the Role of the Government

The individualization of social relations is the main trend in modern society. People do not depend on family and help of its members anymore. They rely on themselves, their individual capabilities and successes. Family modernization is determined by a socio-historical and political-ideological context of a country. It is expressed in a degree to which the family loses its economic functions. The global trend of family nuclearization and fertility decline is manifested differently in Russia and China due to the degree of urbanization, the economic activity of women and the population’s commitment to traditional family values. In order to preserve the birth rate, China began to pursue a neo-familism policy which based on the values of Confucianism. Russia does not have the opportunity to go the same way, because urbanization and modernization of society, started in this country much earlier than in China. The task of stabilizing the population of Russia can be solved only by further modernizing of family relations. It should lead to the creation of an egalitarian (partner) model of the family. At the same time, this does not deprive the Russian state of the opportunity to use the family as a buffer, mitigating for the population the cruelty of the realities of the market economy

The Popularity of K-Pop Culture in Russia: Good or Evil? The Case of BTS

The export and consumption of mass culture products through social networks is practically uncontrollable through globalization. The Republic of Korea, which has made a bet on its creative industries, has achieved noticeable success in this area. The number of fans of the Korean wave (Hallyu) is growing all over the world, in Russia too. K-pop, the musical component of Hallyu, is the most interesting because most of its fans are young people. This actualizes the question about consequences of the k-pop passion on the individual and societal levels.   The purpose of the study: to analyze the causes and consequences of Russians’ passion for k-pop, in particular, the BTS creativity.   The theoretical basis is the theory of the cultural industry by M. Horkheimer — T. Adorno and the theory of social media by M. McLuhan — G. Jenkins. The online fandom BTS — ARMY is seen as an informal social institution of mass culture.   Empirical base. Online survey of Russian BTS fans (N=2483), 13 personal fan essays, 5 focus groups with people of different ages who are not fans but know them well. results.    Results. The passion for k-pop, in particular BTS, is a form of response to the challenges of modern society, in particular, the growth of loneliness, competition, the devaluation of moral values and the crisis of family relations. Positive effects are associated with the personal development of fans, broadening their horizons, increasing self-confidence and tolerance, the emergence of new forms of leisure and hobbies. Participation in a fandom creates a sense of group identity and solidarity, and social networks allow the development of a “culture of participation”. Negative effects are manifested in the idealization of South Korea, its people and culture, the desire to remain in the “beautiful fairy tale” created by the South Korean cultural industries. As a result, groups of female fans are self-isolating. Considering an idol, far from Russian realities, as a normative model of a man, leads to difficulties in building partnerships between female fans with the opposite sex. Non-aggressive behavior of ARMY forms a generally tolerant attitude towards them. K-pop fandom is perceived as a childhood disease that will eventually go away without much treatment. According to opinion of focus group participants, it does not pose a threat to national security and the national identity of the inhabitants of Russia. directions for further research are related to a more detailed analysis of the mechanisms of BTS psychological support for their fans, a comparison of the socio-demographic composition and main types of activity of Russian fans of male and female K-pop groups, an assessment of the meaning of the “complicity culture”, which BTS fans create, for their personal development

Fifth International Scientific and Practical Conference “Women in Public Service”: Classics in New Realities

3 марта 2023 г. в Северо-Западном институте управления состоялась очередная, уже пятая, международная конференция, посвященная использованию человеческого потенциала женщин на государственной гражданской службе, в политике и экономике. По уже сложившейся традиции также были организованы секция, посвященная психологии женского успеха и женщинам-лидерам, и молодежная секция, на которой студенты магистратуры и бакалавриата могли апробировать результаты своих научных исследований

Review of the Textbook Fundamentals of the State Cultural Policy of the Russian Federation

The review presents an overview of the first textbook on the basics of governmental cultural policy. It was prepared for students of the universities of the Ministry of Culture by specialists of the St. Petersburg Institute of Culture. In the review the author shows the importance of the discussed issues for the formation and preservation of Russia’s cultural sovereignty, ensuring its national security in the conditions of informatization of society, the growth of ideological and civilizational confrontation in the modern world. The reviewer considers both the strengths and the weaknesses оf the manual. Nevertheless, she concludes that its authors have achieved the set goals, and this manual will contribute to the formation of professional competencies of the future figures of culture and art of Russia

Sociology of values: experience of building a taxonomy by using natural language analysis technology

Modern research in the field of sociology of science is becoming more complicated due to the constantly growing publication activity of authors. To track trends in sectoral sociology, scientists turn to scientometric methods, but they are not enough. Trends in the development of the sociology of values as a branch of sociology are the subject of the study. The purpose of the work is an assessment of the possibilities of using natural language analysis methods (NLP/NLA) for thematic and theoretical clustering of research in the sociology of values. The design of the study was quantitative and qualitative, it was carried out in two stages. At the first stage, 121 abstracts of a scientific articles were analyzed using text mining, after which their total array was divided into clusters. At the second stage, the results of machine clustering were examined by the method of qualitative text analysis, on the basis of which the limitations and capabilities of the NLP/NLA method were identified for solving the problem of clustering scientific texts. It was found that articles with a more conservative core of theoretical categories (gender studies, migration studies, the theory of globalism) are more amenable to clustering, while theories with a loosely structured and fluid theoretical core (theories using environmental terminology, theories of inequality) are much less amenable to explicit clustering. The results obtained allow us to form a new direction of work with large arrays of scientific texts, associated with their clustering using NLP/NLA. Building clusters enables researchers to work with all texts in a given subject area, and not just with the most cited ones. This, in turn, provides the visibility of all scientific ideas, including those that have not gained popularity/notability

K-pop, Social Networks, Gender Representation: The Problem of Presentation and Perception (The Case of BTS)

Over the past ten years, Korean pop culture has gained enormous popularity around the world. The Boy Band BTS is one of the brightest representatives of this culture. The BTS fandom (ARMY) has about 90 million people around the world, most of which are teenagers and young people. Musical creativity and non-concert activities of the group broadcasted through social networks significantly affect BTS listeners’ perceptions of a wide range of issues, including those related to gender relations. Although there are a lot of research papers devoted to the phenomenon of BTS both in South Korea and abroad the gender aspects of this topic have not yet been studied. The purpose of the article is to analyze the gender representation contained in BTS songs and the nature of gender perception by BTS fans in the process of network communication between the boy band and the fans. The method of qualitative analysis of documents (lyrics of songs) was used and an analysis of a case related to a discussion on the network about one of the songs of BTS, which users rated as misogynistic, was carried out. Research results. Social networks are the key channel for interaction between BTS and their fans. Equally important, fans are not merely an object, but also a subject of communication, they play a huge role in the promotion of the group in the network space. In terms of gender representation, BTS songs can be subdivided into three groups: songs with a discriminatory presentation of gender relations, those with an egalitarian presentation, and songs that do not address gender representation. The third group makes up the absolute majority in the work of the boy band, since BTS focuses on universal problems that are equally important to both girls and boys. The discussion on the song “Joke” taken place in 2015–2016 showed that today fans have real means of controlling the content of the group’s songs and in order to maintain their popularity BTS songwriters need to avoid misogyny. Fans therefore are becoming a deterrent to the spread of discriminatory gender representation in the work of the group, strengthening the group’s positive influence on its fans, including in promoting gender equality. This applies not only to BTS, but to other K-pop groups as well

Women in the Russian Service for Emergencies: Motivation for Enter the Service and Career Features

There are few sociological studies of the service in the structures of the Ministry of Emergency Situations of the Russian Federation. There are few gender-sensitive research too. Although this type of public service has always been considered a sphere of male employment, women work in it too. The solution by these women of the “family-work” role conflict is very important. Purpose of the study: to find out the opinion of graduates of the St. Petersburg University of the State Fire Service of the Ministry of Emergencies of Russia and female employees of the Ministry of Emergency Situations about: 1) the motivation for women to enter this university; 2) the prospects for their career growth and the creation of a family. Methods: analysis of documents and departmental statistics, Internet survey, group focused interview. Sample survey: 200 university graduates, representing all areas of study. The focus group was attended by 6 women. They have a length of service in the Ministry of Emergency Situation from 5 to 10 years. Results. The study tested three hypotheses. 1) The motivation to enter this university is different for women and men. The hypothesis was disproved. At the same time, it turned out that for women it turns out to be more significant than for men, the influence of the immediate environment on the admission decision. 2) Service in the Ministry of Emergency Situations has significant differences from work in other organizations. It can affect the creation of a family. The hypothesis was partially confirmed. Features have been highlighted, but they do not have a significant impact on family creaation. 3) It is more difficult for women than for men to make a career in the structures of the Ministry of Emergency Situations. The hypothesis requires additional verification. According to the respondents, careers are more influenced not by gender stereotypes, but by personal characteristics and the desire to pursue a career, but the opposite point of view was also presented. The relevance of the study. This pilot project made it possible to outline the directions for further study of the prospects for the feminization of public service of other types (not civil and not military)

Non-University Mass Student Public Associations: Institutional Isomorphism as a Factor of Stability

The relevance of this research is about the need to search for factors that increase the stability of youth associations, including student ones. Only stable youth associations can effectively socialize young people and form them as active actors in civil society. The project is a desk study and has a quality design.Object: non-university mass student public associations. They were created in Russia in the 60s of the twentieth century: student building brigades (SSO) and student nature protective brigades (DOP). Subject: institutional isomorphism of non-university student public associations. Purpose: to assess the impact of character and the degree of isomorphism of student public associations on their stability.Research results. It is shown that the main factor in the stability of student public associations is the level of their compliance with institutional requirements. It leads to forced isomorphism. The cause of this isomorphism is the monopoly of sources of support for the activities of these associations. In Russia, the state has such a monopoly. Student associations must take into account the institutional factors, in particular the requirements of higher-level systems and institutions. It gives them the necessary resources to continue their activities. Intra-organizational factors (level of social significance, charisma of leaders, mass character, and others) are less important for ensuring their sustainability

Comparative Analysis of South Korean and American Soft Power Practices in World Politics

In the 21st century, soft power has proved its effectiveness and expediency and has become one of the most important foreign policy instruments of strong, medium and small powers. The approach proposed by Joseph Nye is considered to be a classic example of soft power politics with the United States being the leading state in this field. However, considering the intensification of glocalization processes and the growth of anti-global and anti-American sentiments, the effectiveness of the US soft power is being called into question. On the contrary, the popularity of South Korean culture has been constantly growing all over the world in recent years, which proves the possibility of successful application of the soft power policy by a non-Western (Asian) state.Aim. The aim is to compare the South Korean and American approaches to the implementation of soft power policy.Tasks. The tasks include studying the elements of the US and South Korean soft power models (culture and way of life, values and ideologies, principles of foreign and domestic policy) and comparing them with each other.Methods. The methods of cross-cultural analysis and secondary analysis of data, including official sources, were used.Results. When implementing the soft power policy, both states use the same resources (elements) distinguished by Joseph Nye (culture and lifestyle, ideology and values, principles of domestic and foreign policy).Conclusion. The difference between national models of soft power lies in the content of these elements. The United States and the Republic of Korea convey different values and prioritize different elements of soft power. The United States, placing the main emphasis on ideology, promotes democratic values, while the Republic of Korea, relying on culture in the broadest sense, appeals to humanistic and Confucian values (love for oneself, caring for others, seeking harmony, cheerfulness). Directions for further research include the analysis of the origins and prospects of such a phenomenon of international relations as Asian waves (Japanese, Korean, Chinese, etc.)