The social capital of the community of Jehovah’s Witnesses in modern Ukraine: sociological discourse

Abstract

At the theoretical and empirical levels the social capital of the Jehovah’s Witness communities in contemporary Ukrainian society is examined. The necessity of sociological study of the influence of social capital (J. Coleman, R. Patnam, M. Oberg etc.) on the formation and development of neoprotestant religious communities is substantiated. On the basis of 40 semi-structured interviews with Jehovah’s Witnesses the social capital of JW communities is analyzed. It is concluded that latter is is driven by high regulatory and symbolic integration within the community, as well as intensified inclusive social ties. As a consequence, the individual’s involvement in JW community structure, dependence on it and solidarity with the goals of its activity increases. Such a process does not, however, contribute to the creation of cross-sectional social bonds, which is a problematic basis for the further creation of social capital in society scale.