“Estrangement of close souls”: social anomie of territorial communities in times of social transformation

A social community as the main structure of people’s social functioning is an interdisciplinary subject for study. Its different definitions accentuate social interactions in social communities irrespective of the basis and purpose of their unity. The authors focused on territorial communities (urban and country residents) as the primary community where social interaction takes place and social connections are formed in a certain location. Empirical findings obtained in the framework of RFBR grant no. 19-411-340002 “Territorial communities in social transformation: sociological and managerial analysis” permit an analysis of processes taking place in territorial communities at the time of social transformation. Most provincial Russian regions, towns and villages show low social activism, apathetic social behavior devoid of initiative. Among the characteristic features of social anomie experienced by territorial communities, the authors also emphasize low or moderate degree of trust on social institutions and other people, half-faced loyalty to one’s community, poor solidary ties inside a territorial community which obstruct social interactions and put the very existence of a territorial community at stake. Besides, the state of a territorial community may be a which may be a response to social change, crises, and the depressive vector of regional development. The inert social environment, a condition of social anomie represents the greatest difficulty in management since it is marked by latent conflict and “alienated sociality”. The authors consider different scenarios of development of a territorial communityand overcoming disunity as a response to social transformations and inequality. Understanding the new social reality of towns and villages, the meanings and practices found in the interactions of urban and country residents in the ever-changing social landscape can help in overcoming social anomie, developing a territorial identity and solidary relations in the region, and preserving the community.