Social Inversions and Education

The article focuses on hierarchical and inverse relations in social systems. Hierarchy is the basic form of organization in social systems. Complex hierarchies have the ability to form inverse relationships. Inverse relationships occur when the lower element in social hierarchy becomes the dominant, but formally remains in a subordinate position. In a hierarchical system, there are certain organizational principles that determine the mutual position of the elements. There are several such principles in complex hierarchies. Inversions arise when two or more organizational principles collide in social hierarchy. The developed inversions are a manifestation of internal contradictions in the hierarchical system. The accumulation of these contradictions can lead to the collapse of the hierarchical system. For example, the development of social inversions can cause a revolution in which certain organizational principles in the social system are abolished. But in some cases, resolving of these contradictions leads to another step in the progressive development of the system. Thus, the resolution of contradictions occurs when the subject actually moves to a higher position in the social hierarchy. One of the most important organizational principles that determine the position of the subject in the social hierarchy is based on the educational level of this subject. Increasing the level of education entails the increase of the subject’s social status. However, the position of the subject in the social hierarchy is also determined by other organizational principles. These principles may conflict with the educational organizational principle. As a result, there is a social inversion. Education is a factor that can both generate inversions in the social hierarchy and eliminate them. The development of society is closely connected with the manifestations of the educational organizational principle, with its interaction with other organizational principles in the social hierarchy. The analysis of inverse relations in social hierarchies is an effective research tool that allows to predict and prevent social tension in society.

1. Sorokin, P.A. (1992). Chelovek. Civilizatsiya. Obshchestvo [People. Civilization. Society]. Moscow: Publishing House of Political Literature, 543 p. (In Russ.)

2. Ortega y Gasset, J. (2013). The Dehumanization of Art and Other Essays on Art, Culture, and Literature. (Russian Translation: Moscow: Publishing House AST, 2008. 192 p.)

3. Ivakhnenko, E.N. (2018). [Domestic Education as a System and an Object of Management]. Vysshee obrazovanie v Rossii = Higher Education in Russia. Vol. 27. No. 8/9, pp. 9-23. (In Russ., abstract in Eng.)

4. Lévi-Strauss, C. (1979). La voie des masques. Paris: Plon. [The Way of the Masks]. (Russian Translation: Moscow: Respublika Publ., 2000, 400 p.)

5. Mailyan, F.N. (2012). [The Role of Social Capital in the Formation and Realization of Human Capital]. Vestnik Tomskogo gosudarstvennogo universiteta = Tomsk State University Journal of Economics. No. 1 (17), рр. 51-62. (In Russ.)

6. Shkaratan, O.I. (2009). [Essence and Functions of Social Stratification]. Zhurnal sotsiologii i sotsial’noi antropologii = The Journal of Sociology and Social Anthropology. Vol. 12. No. 3 (48), pp. 43-66. (In Russ.)

7. Giddens, A. (1984). The Constitution of Society. Outline of the Theory of Structuration. Cambridge: Polity (Russian Translation: Moscow: Akademicheskii Proekt Publ., 2001. 528 p.)

8. Sevost’yanov, D.A. (2014). [Inverse Relations in Socio-economic Systems]. Observatoriya kul’tury = Observatory of Culture. No. 3, pp. 18-25. (In Russ., abstract in Eng.)

9. Sapunov, M.B., Tkhagapsoev, Kh.G. (2018). [Culture of Critical Discourse on Education and Science]. Vysshee obrazovanie v Rossii = Higher Education in Russia. Vol. 27. No. 7, pp. 20-27. (In Russ., abstract in Eng.)

10. Makeev, S. (2001). [Class Analysis in Modern Sociology]. Sotsiologiya: teorii, metody, marketing [Sociology: Theories, Methods, Marketing]. No. 3, pp. 5-22. (In Russ.)

11. Belyaeva, L.A. (2010). [Russia and Europe: Population Structure and Social Inequality]. Monitoring obshchestvennogo mneniya [Monitoring of Public Opinion]. No. 3 (97), pp. 21-53. (In Russ.)

12. Khabarov, I.A. (2008). [Political Elite: Theoretical Aspect of the Analysis]. Vestnik Tambovskogo gosudarstvennogo universiteta. Seriya: Gumanitarnye nauki = Tambov University Review. Series Humanities. No. 3(59), pp. 346-349. (In Russ., abstract in Eng.)

13. Bourdieu, P., Passeron, J.-C. (1977). Reproduction in Education, Society and Culture. London; Sage Publications, pp. 1-68.

14. Rousseau, J.-J. (1762). Du contrat social; ou Principes du droit politique (Russian translation from French: Moscow: KANON-press Publ., 1998, 416 p.)

15. Simmel, G. (1996). [Problems of Sociology. Social Differentiation. Sociological and Psychological Research]. In: G. Simmel. Izbrannoe [Selected Works. Vol. 2. The Contemplation of Life]. Transl. from German. Moscow: Yurist Publ., pp. 301-465. (In Russ.)

16. Kornaev, A.T. (2007). [Genesis of Social Stratification as a Scientific Category]. Vestnik Stavropol’skogo gosudarstvennogo universiteta = Stavropol State University’s Vestnik. No. 50, pp. 123-126. (In Russ.)

17. Bykov, A.V. (2009). [Concept of Values in E. Durkheim’s Sociology]. Monitoring obshchestvennogo mneniya [Monitoring of Public Opinion]. No. 3 (91), pp. 219-226. (In Russ.)

18. Golenkova, Z.T. (Ed.) (1998). [Transformation of the Social Structure and Stratification of the Russian Society]. Moscow: RAS Institute of Sociology Publ., 481 p. (In Russ.)

19. Golenkova, Z.T., Igitkhanyan E.D. (2008). Sotsial’naya struktura obshchestva. V poiske adekvatnykh otvetov [Social Structure of Society. In Search of Adequate Answers]. Available at: http://www.civisbook.ru/files/File/Golenkova_Igithanyan.pdf (In Russ.)

20. Konstantinovskiy, D.L. (1999). Dinamika neravenstva [Dynamics of Inequality]. Moscow: Editorial URSS Publ., 344 p. (In Russ.)

21. Kutsenko, O.D. (2000). Obshchestvo neravnykh. Klassovyi analiz neravenstv v sovremennom obshchestve: popytki zapadnoi sotsiologii [Society of Unequals. Class Analysis of Inequalities in Modern Society: Attempts of Western Sociology]. Kharkov: Publishing House of Kharkiv State University n.a. V.N. Karazin. 240 p. (In Russ.)

22. Luhmann, N. (1997). Die Gesellschaft der Gesellschaft (Russian translation from German: Moscow: Logos Publ., 2004, 232 p.)

23. Sevost’yanov, D.A., Gainanova, A.R. (2014). [Values of Education: Inversion of Meanings]. Vysshee obrazovanie v Rossii = Higher Education in Russia. No. 2, pp. 43-48. (In Russ., abstract in Eng.)

24. Efimova, O.Yu. (2013). [Social Mobility of Young People from Poor Families: The Experience of the Pilot Study]. Znanie. Ponimanie. Umenie = Knowledge. Understanding. Skill. No. 4, pp. 270–273. (In Russ., abstract in Eng.)

25. Mironova, S.P. (2015). [Social Elevator: A Look through the Prism of the Media]. In: Socio-Professional Mobility in the XXI Century. Ekaterinburg: Russian State Vocational Pedagogical University, pp. 74-81. (In Russ.)

26. Aleshina, M.V., Pleve, I.R. (2009). [Social Elevator or Social Exclusion?]. Vysshee obrazovanie v Rossii = Higher Education in Russia. No. 11, pp. 126-131. (In Russ., abstract in Eng.)

27. Husén, T. (1987). Higher Education and Social Stratification: An International Comparative Study. Paris: International Institute for Educational Planning. 75 p.

28. Tsvetkov, A.N. (2016) [The Paradigm of Modern Management: A Manifestation in Organizations]. Strategii biznesa = Business Strategies. No. 11 (31), pp. 15-19. (In Russ., abstract in Eng.)