The binary opposition “own - alien” in cultural discourse

The relevance of this study lies in the fact that in intercultural and intracultural communication the differentiation of society into “own” and “alien” plays a fundamental social role and affects the socio-cultural situation as a whole. The research problem is determined by the need to study the cultural aspects of the representation of the binary opposition “own - alien” in modern Russian society. The authors use such research methods as theoretical analysis, generalization, survey, and comparative analysis. The scientific novelty of the work lies in the fact that in the process of analyzing the research problem. The authors identified and substantiated criteria and characteristics according to which modern Russian student youth differentiate “own” and “alien”. These are communication, behavioral, intellectual, spiritual, moral, and visual criteria, which made it possible to characterize “own” and “alien” for this local community.