Approaches to studying professionalism in the concepts of western sociologists

The paper discusses different points of view on the interpretation of professionalism as a social phenomenon in Western sociology of the profession. The concepts of profession and professionalism are compared in Western and Russian tradition. Based on classical sociological theories, the research describes four basic conceptual approaches to dealing with the theory of professionalism: functionalist, critical, attributive, and hermeneutic ones. The author highlights the aspects of professionalism in the context of each of them. The study reveals the key features of and fundamental differences in these approaches that can be comprehensively considered. Within the framework of the attributive approach, the author presents the characteristics of professions from the perspective of Western experts. In conclusion, the research identifies modern factors and emerging trends affecting the professionalization.