Influence of the Factor of the Past on the Formation of the Identity of the Russian Youth

Abstract

The article deals with the problem of social solidarity and the role of upbringing and educational institutions in the formation of group identity and social communities in the conditions of fragmentation of society in modern Russia. The theoretical and methodological basis of the study is formed by reference to the classical definitions of solidarity by E. Durkheim as a supreme moral principle and universal value, a postulate of the condition for the preservation of society; as well as to symbolic interactionism, J.G. Mead’s ideas on social communication as acceptance of the role of the other, similar interpretation of reality as a product of assimilation of social ex-perience of the generalized other, self-reflection as the formation of identity; in explaining the current trends, the authors rely on the idea of the fluidity of the other’s role, and on the idea of the social interaction of the oth-er. The results of a pilot survey of university youth characterizing the attitude towards personalities of Russian history are given. The limitations of the study are indicated, the interpretation of identity indicators is proposed. The possibilities of fixing historical narratives in order to maintain the core of organic solidarity are revealed. According to the results of the study, conclusion dwells upon the fact that the young generation knows increas-ingly less about the past, which entails the process of destruction of social solidarity and causes fragmentation in the youth environment.