Professional communities of young scientists in the face of the uncertainty of the modern world. Case of Russian research centers (according to a qualitative study)

Abstract

The article discusses the key characteristics of the integration of young scientists into scientific communities in the context of "fluid" modernity. The authors consider the professional communities of young scientists as mobile networks in the society of plasma, fluid modernity, that are endowed with both autonomy and a constant mechanism for adapting to new realities, processes and transformations that exist in modern societies. Fluid modernity in the professional sphere is understood by the authors as a time of opportunity, including opportunities for young scientists to take initiatives, as well as a world of total uncertainty, where swiftness and changeability, constant search and change of various strategies become prerequisites for successful career building and career growth. The empirical basis of the analysis is the result of a qualitative study conducted with the participation of the authors. In the course of the study, 30 biographical interviews with young scientists in a city of regional significance, a young science city, and a large city of federal significance were recorded and analysed. The authors put forward a hypothesis about the importance of horizontal integration of young scientists into scientific communities. The role of the city as an actor that forms scientific communities and strategies for the interaction and integration of young scientists with scientific communities is also assessed. Particular attention is paid to the meaning of a scientific career and the individual role of scientific communities in the career of young scientists, as well as strategies for their integration into the scientific environment. As new opportunities that arise for scientists in the world of fluid modernity, there are considered changes in the configuration of strategies for both building a scientific career and integrating into scientific communities at the local, all-Russian and global levels. The authors conclude that both the city itself, its conditions and the orientation of the local scientific community, that is determined by the presence of specialised disciplines, influence the integration and construction of strategies for advancement in a scientific career. According to the authors, a successful strategy that allows using the potential of the world of fluid modernity is the horizontal integration of young scientists, that gives them the opportunity to maximise their resources.