Antonovsky A.Y., Barash R.E. Non-systemic Consolidation — Main Forms, Factors, and Approaches

Abstract

Man is a social being. But what lies behind this description is presented differently in different theoretical traditions. So, within structural-functionalist approaches, sociality was understood as a problem of a social order, was often considered in isolation from the person himself and received the appropriate connotations (solidarity, integration, communication, etc.). At the same time, “understanding sociology” focusing on generalized meanings of actions or attitudes of individuals, in turn, problematized the conditions for the possibility of consensus and social order, starting from the situation of the individual himself. Understanding approaches, according to the authors, make possible a broader view of the problem of social order, which in this sense is not reduced exclusively to systemic (material, economic, administrative) factors, motivations or guidelines, but suggest other grounds for rational, social consensus behavior. The purpose of the article is to operationalize the social nature of a person through the broader concept of consolidation and deconsolidation (connecting the systemic macro-level and the individual micro-level of social analysis), as well as the reconstruction of the sum of consolidation-significant factors. Thus, the authors turn to the theory of rational choice by J. Coleman and H. Esser and the corresponding understanding of human rationality, aimed at maximizing, among other things, “intangible profit”. At the same time, the authors associate the sources and conditions of intangible consolidation with the accumulation of various forms of “social capital” that ensures people's trust in its holders. The concept of communicative rationality by J. Habermas gives the authors reason to consider the “public sphere” as an intangible condition of social consolidation as a space of structural cohesion of “vital-world” expectations of actors and the political system, which often ignores “under-reflective topics” and “under-represented communities” in its agenda. Focusing on the theory of A. Giddens, the authors consider the concept of “double hermeneutics” as a methodological tool for the analysis of non-material consolidation. The latter ensures the exchange of moral and normative interpretations of political events and decisions between intellectuals, scientists, politicians and ordinary citizens, who, in turn, are capable of reflexive monitoring of the actions and decisions of higher authorities. As another condition for social consolidation, the so-called “expert knowledge systems” that provide social consensus and standardize communication are considered. P. Bourdieu's ideas about social space give reason to consider the factor of (de-) consolidation of society the mismatch between contradictory typical habits (lifestyles, types of consumption, social expectations) in a heterogeneous social space. As a result, a complex and synthetic concept of social consolidation crystallizes, concretizing the abstract concept of human social nature.