DISCOURSE IN MODERN THEORETICAL SOCIOLOGY

Abstract

In the historical and cultural context, the author analyzes approaches to versions of traumatic development, as well as to the theory of social trauma itself. P. Sztompka's theory of becoming reveals how the effects of “society in action” and “pathological agency” cause sociocultural trauma. The theory of cultural construction of trauma and “dramatization of consciousness” by J. Alexander diagnoses the role of artificially created short-lived meanings of a mystified sense in the deformation of public consciousness. In the center of the article is Zh.T. Toshchenko, substantiating the special modality of development. With the help of the theoretical and methodological tools of this theory, the traditional criteria for the progress of countries, previously defined as “developed”, “developing”, “catching up”, “lagging," are reassessed - they do not take into gifts ”and the fact that their realities and development trends do not coincide with either the evolutionary or revolutionary modality. Complex causes contributing to traumatic development are considered. Based on the provisions and conclusions of the theory of Zh. Toshchenko, the author of the article outlines promising directions in the study of societies of trauma.