AMBIVALENCE OF SOCIAL STIGMATIZATION OF YOUNG PEOPLE IN THE RUSSIAN FAR EAST

Abstract

Purpose of the study: The purpose of the article is to study the characteristics of the stigmatization process of modern youth in the Russian Far East. Special attention is paid to living conditions in the Russian Far East, noting that the majority of the population in the Far Eastern region and, above all, young people, are in a situation of social inequality and marginality in relation to the rest of Russians. Many young people associate their life strategies with leaving the territory of the Far East of Russia. Methodology: At the first stage of the study, the method of participant observation was used, which provided primary information about the impact of stigma on the self-identification of young people. At the empirical level of research, such sociological methods as document analysis, sociological surveys in the form of questioning and interviewing were applied. A sociological survey was conducted as a pilot study of the problems of stigmatization among high school and university students of the cities of Khabarovsk and Komsomolsk-on-Amur. Main findings of this article: Stigma is manifested in its own way in different times and in different communities, it is historically and socioculturally specific. Territorial stigma possesses signs of ambivalence, on the one hand, it has a negative effect on the socialization and self-identification process of young people in the Russian Far East, but on the other hand, it can act as an incentive for young people to make an active and conscious choice of their life strategy. Applications of this study: The findings can be used in the implementation of youth policy in the Far Eastern Federal District by state and local authorities in order to prevent the outflow of young people from the region. The main results of the study can be useful for use in the educational process in such disciplines as sociology, political science, regional studies, as well as for the further study of the problems of social stigmatization. Novelty/Originality of this study: The novelty and significance of the study lie in the fact that in Russian sociology practically no attention is paid to the problems of territorial stigmatization. The theoretical conclusions were obtained on the basis of the original sociological research conducted by the authors of the article in the cities of the Far Eastern region of Russia. The results provided new knowledge of both territorial stigmatization and social stigmatization in general. The novelty of the conducted study lies in the actualization of the problem of social stigmatization of Russian youth living in the Far Eastern region remote from the center of Russia.