Institutionalizing the volunteer movement: an approach presented by the social constructionism of P. Berger and T. Luckmann

The paper considered rise in popularity of social movement groups, namely those focused on the needs of society, that has been recently noticed and has urged for application of an institutional approach to study them. The author explored a concept of transformation of a social movement (volunteer movement) into the social organization or public institution. Having considered several models of institutionalization of social movements, those suggested by N. Smelser, O. Ramstadt, P.L.Berger and Th. Luckmann, the author paid particular attention to the concept of institutionalization by P.L. Berger and Th. Luckmann. The study presented justification of validity of this conceptual platform for the contemporary Russian society. An outline of social construction of reality suggested by P.L. Berger and Th. Luckmann is quite justified and applicable to examining the social construction of the voluntary movement. Within the set of methods of social constructionism used in this paper, institutionalizing the voluntary movement has been perceived as unfinished procedure, and currently ongoing course of reorganizing the volunteer movement into a separate social institution proper.