Nikovskaya L.I. Social foundations of the analysis of political conflict. In: Socio-political conflicts: theoretical concepts and practice of settlement: [monograph] ...

Abstract

The chapter discusses the sociological aspects of the analysis of political conflict related to the socio-structural and subjective foundations of political processes and relations. It is shown that many problems and contradictions of the social sphere, such as social polarization, excessive inequalities, poverty and violation of the principles of social justice, deprivation of basic needs and interests, unstable employment significantly determine the field of politics and are projected onto the object and subject of political conflict, aggravating their course and positive outcomes. The insolubility of social problems and contradictions, their encapsulation, either cause a decrease in public interest in politics, in the effectiveness of democratic institutions, contribute to widening the gap between the "private" and "public", generate a sense of political alienation and powerlessness, or push to satisfy basic needs beyond existing social norms and political institutions, to destructive forms of political resolution conflicts, which leads to a loss of manageability of society and a social catastrophe. A sociological analysis of the subjective cross-section of conflict interaction shows that conflict based on group interests (in comparison with class and elitist) is more conducive to maintaining dynamic balance in society and realizing the positive potential of political conflict, since it is characterized by flexible intra-group ties and mobile intergroup barriers in the socio-political system. Class and elitist models of conflict tend more towards the vertical polarization of society, which strengthens the "discontinuous" lines of interrelation between the "upper" and "lower", makes the "domination-subordination" dichotomy rigid and reduces the possibilities of dialogical plasticity and flexibility of the political system