Inclusive culture: from educational to sociocultural context

Article problem is detection of the semantic contents of the term «inclusive culture» which is actively used today in scientific literature, in mass media, political rhetoric and extensive social discussion. Historical developments meant that in publications of domestic and foreign researchers this term is connected with realisation of inclusive approach in education [Booth, 2002], thus sometimes the maintenance of an inclusion is reduced to private, really sharp problem of providing special conditions for education for disabled people and persons with health limitations. It is somewhat logical and is explained by the fact that education system pioneered in judgment of the purpose, tasks and means of realisation of inclusive culture. It is thus obvious that the concept of inclusive culture has more capacity, many sides and includes an idea of new type of social communications, relations and practices. Therefore identification of «semantic filling» and «width» of a substantial range of the term «inclusive culture» on the basis of studying of special literature and surveys of several groups of respondents involved in this issue became the goal of the present article. Methodology. Authors rely on hermeneutics-phenomenological and axiological approaches, applying the logical-conceptual and terminological analysis. The empirical part of research is connected with carrying out the survey, the questionnaire for which was developed following the results of expert poll and focus groups with inclusion of students, whose future profession is connected with pedagogics, psychology and social work. Results of research. The hypothesis of mainly «local» interpretation of the term «inclusive culture», formulated during the analysis of literature and discussions on this subject, was confirmed at synthesis of the questionnaire results. At the same time, more than 70% of respondents (experts, parents, pedagogical university students), have understanding of universal sense of inclusive culture and connect it with recognition of values of each individual, which in our opinion, promotes formation of ideas of inclusive culture as a semantic field, which is the only condition for inclusion to become possible. Conclusion. The semantic ambiguity of the term «inclusive culture» revealed by us indicates its conceptual status and a need for a deep conceptual analysis, because combination of words “inclusion” and “culture” is also far from unambiguity. Secondly, which is far more important, discussion about this term opens dynamics of sociocultural processes in society of «a late modernity», which such characteristics of an inclusion as anti-fundamentalism in an epistemology, dynamism, reflexivity, unpredictability, change of outlooks, innovations in informative orientation, globalisation are natural for. Universal values - freedom, equality, justice, human rights, the public contract and several others, «for the first time in human history receive a toehold» [Giddens, 1994]. The «local» understanding of the content of inclusive culture, isolation by education borders (special conditions for individuals) can be justified by the fact that educational environment is kind of «an implementation platform» for new «sociocultural codes» and social innovations. Authors came to a conclusion about a need for the complex analysis of the term «inclusive culture», leaning besides pedagogical ones on the linguistic-cultural studies, social and philosophical, ethical and axiological bases.