Теория социокультурных систем english
Dmitry V. Nikolaenko
THEORY OF THE
SOCIO-CULTURAL SYSTEMS:
DEFINITIONS, TYPOLOGY,
TIME-SPATIAL MODELS
Translated by
Tatyana Nikolaenko
CONTENTS
INTRODUCTION 153
1. THE TERMINOLOGY AND CONCEPTS USED:
DEFINITIONS 154
2. TYPES OF THE SOCIO-CULTURAL FORMATIONS 158
3. PERIODS OF THE SOCIO-CULTURAL SYSTEMS’ (SCS)
EVOLUTION 169
4. EVOLUTION OF THE SPACES OF THE SOCIO-CULTURAL
SYSTEMS: NUMERICAL SYMBOLS TO THE
TIME-SPATIAL MODELS 173
5. EVOLUTION OF THE SPACES OF THE SOCIO-CULTURAL
SYSTEMS: LEGEND TO THE TIME-SPATIAL MODELS 177
6. EVOLUTION OF THE SPACES OF THE SOCIO-CULTURAL
SYSTEMS: TIME-SPATIAL MODELS 180
6.1. BARBARIAN-NOMADIC SCS 180
6.2. MUSLIM SCS 187
6.3. CHINESE SCS 194
6.4. WESTERN SCS 201
6.5. RUSSIAN SCS 208
6.6. HINDU SCS 215
6.7. SOUTH-AMERICAN SCS 222
6.8. BLACK AFRICAN SCS 229
7. PERIODS AND SUBPERIODS OF THE
SOCIO-CULTURAL SYSTEMS EVOLUTION 236
INTRODUCTION
| T |
his article is the first brief, but hopefully more or less systematical presentation of the theory of socio-cultural systems to an English-reading audience. It is actually the translation of the essay “Morphology of the Socio-Cultural Formations” written originally in Russian, but with some extras added to present here a more complete idea of the theory. Researches in this direction are conducted by the author since 1984, but not so many works were published until 1997. Those that were - fortunately or unfortunately - all are in Russian.
During these years the author lived and worked in several countries and regions of the World: in 1985/87 it was People’s Republic of China, in 1991/92 - Federal Republic of Germany, in 1992/93 - Republic of South Africa, in 1994 - the USA, and in 1995/97 - South Africa again. The result is real, personalized, not just read about observations of various socio-cultural types of spaces.
The work on the theory is going on. In 1998/99 we intend to make ready for publishing - in both Russian and English - texts on socio-cultural interpretations of demographic processes and current demographic situation in the World, state and political boundaries, wars and regional conflicts, economics and money, social processes in various socio-cultural systems. Some of these directions are explored in co-opearation with our loyal colleagues and co-authors, and Tatyana Nikolaenko in particular.
January 10th, 1998
Simferopol, Crimea
1. THE TERMINOLOGY AND CONCEPTS USED:
DEFINITIONS
In this first small chapter we wish to define more precisely the principal terms used further. It’s always quite complicated procedure, but in this particular case we can do it quite correctly after describing indicative qualities of every main socio-cultural formation. We do not even hope to present here a completely exhaustive, maximum correct definitions, and in general don’t believe such “statements of a things’ precise meaning” make any particular sense. It seems more important to define certain theoretical basis that would make it possible to successively and exactly distinguish one socio-cultural formation or process from another, along the whole length of their historical evolution. Complexity of this task is that socio-cultural formations and processes have very long life terms and exist as an astonishing diversity of specific external forms. With it all, their essence remains one and the same. Variety of the socio-cultural formations’ and processes’ specific forms makes defining the terminology used here quite a practical problem.
* * *
HOMELAND - the most profoundly transformed in a socio-cultural respect territory where representatives of a certain socio-cultural formation lived and / or still live during historically prolonged interval of time, absolutely securing this territory as their own. Homeland’s territory is always furiously protected and defended from any outside invasions. Representatives of the alien socio-cultural formations may be present there only for a brief time and with many a restrictions that especially concerns homelands of socio-cultural systems.
Territories of the Urals and Moscow region may serve as the examples of the Russian homeland. They were assimilated in accordance with Russian standards and are clearly interpreted as Russian homeland, though duration of these territories’occupation by the Russian population differs essentially.
SOCIO-CULTURAL SYSTEM (SCS) - type of the socio-cultural formations dominating in a socio-cultural evolution. SCS-s include main part of the World’s population and inhabited territories. SCS-s are characterized by great sizes of their territories and considerable quantities of own population; they possess original standards of a space, society and state organisation as well as many a unique qualities because of those they do differ drastically from the rest of the socio-cultural formations.
Unique characteristics of SCS-s are as follows:
ability to expand own homeland at the expense of socio-cultural assimilation of a new territories;
ability to generate complicated structure of own space, with internal buffer zones, in order to protect and defend itself from other SCS-s;
complete cycle of the space socio-cultural assimilation which includes seven principal stages;
domination of the inner logics over outer factors which are always used in a strict correspondence with the SCS’ evolution internal order;
ability to create naturally dependent vassals in a course of socio-cultural transformation of other territories;
own world religion, or its own unique version;
ability to widen a circulation of own language outside own homeland, and first of all - in the internal buffer zone and among the naturally dependent vassals;
reliability and self-sufficiency of own economy;
ability to generate and invent stable original economic standards and forms which may have no analogues outside a particular SCS.
There are eight SCS-s, and in the process of their evolution each of them goes through seven stages. With this, at every stage SCS-s acquire specific distinguished forms. Thus, there are 56 essentially different external forms of SCS-s to understand which we should base all the theoretical interpretations on a correct generalization of a very high level.
INTERNAL BUFFER ZONE OF SCS - qualitatively original and distinctive socio-cultural part of the SCS’s space that is always located on the “outskirts” of the SCS’s homeland, along its borders with other socio-cultural formations. Internal buffer zone is destined mainly to protect homeland of a particular SCS from immediate contacts with alien SCS-s and their possible aggression. It may border with an external socio-cultural buffer zone as well as an internal buffer zone of a neighbouring SCS. Organization of an internal buffer zone is characterized by many a distinctive qualities determined by the specific evolutionary process of the SCS this particular buffer zone belongs to.
Example of the internal buffer zone of the past is the territory of the Great Novgorod Principality which, during socio-cultural contest of Russian SCS of the XI - XVI centuries, protected Russian homeland from the invasions of Western SCS. Modern internal buffer zone of Russian SCS is formed by the new independent states rising after the collapse and transformation of the USSR. All of them, excluding Belarus and Kazakhstan, have formed internal buffer zone of Russian SCS, irrespective of their own wishes as well as - and especially - declarations.
NATURALLY DEPENDENT VASSAL - relatively integral territory with own population that retains some unprincipal differences from the neighbouring, dominating over it SCS, but became this SCS’ inalienable part as a result of prolonged and systematic socio-cultural transformation. It is important that sizes of states - naturally dependent vassals may vary essentially: the point isn’t size in itself, but a special socio-cultural type of these formations.
Naturally dependent vassals may possess a considerable amount of political and economic independence, have quite complicated, and at times conflicting, relationships with their dominants, being actually just a part of a dominating SCS.
In fact, they practically cannot change their socio-cultural status, and the point isn’t just separate, single economic or political actions, but socio-cultural measures that should be conducted successively during several centuries and (most probably) on the competing SCS’ own initiative. Only initiative or, especially, declaratory wishes of a naturally dependent vassal itself are never quite enough to change its socio-cultural status, and not a single example of a naturally dependent vassal really changing its status is known. Study of eight SCS-s along the whole length of their history demonstrates that if some territory was formed as a naturally dependent vassal of a certain SCS, then it remains as such forever.
Example of a naturally dependent vassals are modern, now politically independent states rising on the basis of the disintegrated former USSR. All of them, excluding only Belarus and Kazakhstan, are naturally dependent vassals of Russia.
EXTERNAL SOCIO-CULTURAL BUFFER ZONE - type of the socio-cultural formations that evolves to separate two or more alien SCS-s. As a rule, external buffer zones border not immediately with the SCS-s, but with their internal buffer zones completely controlled by their own SCS-s. External buffer zone as a special socio-cultural formation is characterized by extreme instability and dependence on dynamics of those SCS-s it separates.
East Europe may serve as the classic example of the external buffer zone, being a special type of the socio-cultural formation which separates Western and Russian SCS-s.
SOCIO-CULTURAL DOMAIN (SCD) - type of the socio-cultural formations that is quite similar to socio-cultural system, but possesses a substantial quantity of a principal distinctions. It’s characterized by stable and prolonged existence as well as specific economic, social and cultural forms. Fundamental differences compare to SCS are that SCD-s are categorically unable to assimilate and transform new territories into own homeland, expanding it with this, and create naturally dependent vassals: so, there is no systematic work with space as in case of a socio-cultural systems. The effect is a sort of socio-cultural conservation: SCD-s do not change / expand their own space and in general do not evolve in themselves during very prolonged periods; modern results of such phenomenon are quite modest sizes of their territories. Another essential SCD-s distinction from SCS-s manifests itself in their extraordinary situational behaviour.
At the present level of knowledge about socio-cultural formations and processes, there is no possibility to determine the reasons for emerging differences of socio-cultural systems and domains with respect to space, but it’s possible to describe all the details and components of these distinctions.
MIXED SOCIO-CULTURAL REGION - territory that has no distinct internal socio-cultural dominant and where various socio-cultural formations (SCS-s, SCD-s and buffer zones) co-exist. As a rule, these are regions of the young historical assimilation which, in some perspective, gain socio-cultural certainty, but with this may retain in their boundaries presence of a several socio-cultural formations. Most probable evolution of a mixed socio-cultural regions is into naturally dependent vassals and external buffer zones, and as a more rare case - into part of the homeland of some SCS.
ENCLAVE - territory of a historically temporary domination of a particular SCS within another socio-cultural formation. Genesis and evolution of enclaves are diverse and in many respects depend on a specific characteristics of a particular SCS’ dynamics. As a rule, enclaves are generated during process of expanding areas controlled by one or another SCS. They carry out important socio-cultural tasks, but are not lasting as from historical point of view. Next in turn stage of the SCS evolution may become the reason for enclave’s degradation, even in the absence of an external pressure.
ENCLAVE-COMMUNITY WITHIN ALIEN SCS - critical self-reproducible quantity of one SCS’ population permanently living on the territory of another SCS and retaining with this own specific socio-cultural standards. Enclave-community reproduces itself by means of both natural growth and mechanical migrations of population from maternal SCS into SCS of permanent inhabitance. Enclave-communities are most typical for the regions of mixed socio-cultural as well as pioneer inhabitance.
As the classical example we may consider black inhabitants of North America, and the USA in particular.
SOCIO-CULTURAL CONTEST - process which is inherent only for socio-cultural systems. Its socio-cultural meaning lies in developing and selecting the most efficient, in a specific historical conditions, socio-cultural basis for a certain SCS which should determine further ways of solving this SCS’ most fundamental and principal problems. Socio-cultural contests may take place at various stages of the SCS-s evolution and, as a rule, in a form of a cycle of civil wars, domestic quarrels and feuds, economic and cultural depression. They do usually leave the very gloomy and strange memories in the following generations and become the subject of subsequent falsifications from the side of their very own SCS-s. In reality, socio-cultural contests are absolutely necessary for the efficient growth and development of any SCS and are a kind of its response to changing arrangements of socio-cultural powers.
SOCIO-CULTURAL MIGRATIONS (SOCIO-CULTURALLY SIGNIFICANT MIGRATIONS) - migrations that are directed outside the traditional homeland of a certain SCS and aimed at the socio-cultural transformation of the alien territories into the new homeland of the SCS in question, or creating its naturally dependent vassals. Such migrations are the unique quality of