Vol 25, No 3 (2025)

The article examines the sociological theory of the ruling elite created by the famous American sociologist Ch. R. Mills. Although the theory formulated by him in the last century was a rather important step forward for his time in the study of that social community, today the analysis of its basic provisions is not so often found in modern research. At the same time, many of its provisions are not only not outdated, but are also a refl ection of the modern portrait of the elite, and the socio-political processes taking place in society. In contrast to the established in sociology and political science consideration of the elite as a special social group, the works of Ch. R. Mills present a view of it as a kind of social institution. In this regard, a number of works consider the approach of Ch. R. Mills as institutional. The article defi nes the theory of the ruling elite of Ch. R. Mills as a special version of the socio-institutional approach, since Ch. R. Mills himself considers the elite as a group of individuals representing the leading institutions of society (primarily political, economic and military), making all decisions that entail the most important consequences. The undoubted advantages of Ch. R. Mills’ approach are his attempt to defi ne the boundaries of the elite group, to characterize the structure of the elite, the social strata and the groups that form it. The defi nitions of a politician and the analysis of two leading interlayers that make up the core of the ruling elite – professional politicians and political “outsiders” – have not lost their relevance. The article also considers the trend in the elite, which has not lost its relevance, associated with the gradual replacement of the category of professional politicians by administrators-bureaucrats, who come from corporate and ‘outsider’ groups, including representatives of the economic and military elite.

The article presents an analysis of the representation of the family images and family fertility in commercial advertising. In sociology the terms “need for children” and “desire to have children”, and the concepts of the average expected, the average ideal and the average desired number of children were introduced. Commercial advertising, as one of the forms of mass media, can provide a limited impact on the desire to have children through moderating the social norm. On the basis of the concept of the limited impact of mass media on the values and group ideas about the social norms, the representation of family models and number of children in modern commercial advertising, presented on most popular Russian TV channels were analyzed. On the basis of the empirical research, the models of family fertility in commercial advertising were presented. The family models demonstrated in advertising can be integrated into collective consciousness as the examples of group norms.

The linguistic turn in sociology has established language-related issues as a primary focus in the examination of socio-humanitarian human activities. The acceptance of texts (linguistic statements) as socio-cultural phenomena that construct social reality facilitates the exploration of socio-cultural contexts and value-behavioral models of social actors engaged in social actions. However, the assertions regarding the social role of language that delineate the specifi city of social actions have not consistently been acknowledged. Symbolic interactionism, ethnomethodology, phenomenology, the theory of communicative actions, hermeneutics, and the theory of speech acts have provided the methodological foundation for regarding language as a defi ning element, thereby contributing to the development of the linguistic turn in socio-humanitarian research. A particular signifi cance in the establishment of linguistics (language and speech) as a crucial component of human activity is attributed to P. Bourdieu, who identifi ed language as the principal marker of individual sociality. Conversely, the linguistic turn has served as a foundational  point for the emergence of the narrative turn, regarded as an eff ective instrument in sociological inquiry. The narrative/description/narrative framework possesses its own rationale for defi ning the individual as a central subject of sociological investigation. The diversity of interpretations of identical events is infl uenced, on one hand, by the subjective particularities of respondents and, on the other hand, by the spatio-temporal context. The ethnomethodological uniqueness of the narrative encapsulates the quotidian experiences of individuals in the dynamics of their interactions, refl ections, everyday behavioral models, and the organization of their life cycles. The phenomenological character of the narrative is epitomized by the phenomenon of sociological rewriting, which amalgamates an objective worldview with its subjective interpretations and the emotional nuances of the description. The postmodern perspective on the narrative underscores, primarily, the limitless array of subjective interpretations and the technique of deconstructing texts to unearth concealed meanings. Employing narrative as a sociological tool enables a thorough description and analysis of not only the social actions of individuals in their everyday lives but also the examination of social reality.

The article examines the labor practices of foreign students studying at the universities in Saratov region, with a focus on their adaptation to the Russian labor market. The study is based on the results of a quantitative (survey, n = 200) and qualitative (in-depth interviews, n = 12) analysis. The main employment sectors of foreign students, such as the hospitality industry, delivery services, and taxi driving, are identifi ed. The key employment challenges, including unfair payments, penalty sanctions, language barriers, and the lack of work experience, are outlined. The factors infl uencing successful adaptation, such as fl exible work schedules, payment stability, and the possibility of combining work with studies, are considered. The fi ndings emphasize the need to develop support mechanisms for foreign students in the labor market, facilitating their social and economic integration into Russian society

Despite the considerable attention paid to the attitude of young people towards special military operation (hereinafter referred to as SMO), the role of mass media in shaping the attitudes of this age group is not analyzed very often. Meanwhile, this is precisely what largely determines how young people perceive what is happening. In this regard, the aim of the study, the results of which are presented in this article, was to identify the dynamics of young people’s attitudes towards SMO in the context of their inherent media practices. Empirical basis for the analysis was the data from monthly measurements carried out from March 2022 to March 2025 by the Levada Center (recognized as a foreign agent in Russia), as well as three online questionnaires (n = 3796) and a series of focus group interviews with young people (n = 110) conducted in November 2022, 2023 and 2024 by employees of the Department of Political Science of Saratov State University. It turned out that most young people do not closely follow what is happening within the framework of SMO, in general they support Russia’s actions in this confl ict, but the level of this support is lower than that of representatives of older generations. The main reasons for this are the de-ideologization of education, breakdown of the system of patriotic education of the younger generation, as well as the inherent media consumption practices that make young people virtually inaccessible to the political narratives formed by the authorities. Specifi c recommendations are formulated on how to achieve a more conscious and loyal attitude of young people to the special operation.

In the article, the author refers to the novelties in the US Arctic agenda that emerged after the second inauguration of D.Trump. In the course of the research, an attempt was made to answer a number of questions. Will the new US administration completely change its strategy in the Arctic, or will it continue to implement some percentage of the programs inherited from the Democrats? To assess the realism of individual elements of the republican Arctic program in terms of available capabilities and organizational measures. Having conducted a historiographical analysis of the works of domestic and foreign authors, as well as some of the author’s sources, it is concluded that in the context of the growing geopolitical and geo-economic importance of the Arctic in the system of US foreign policy priorities in the context of the Republican-democratic confrontation, there is a certain continuity that allows strengthening both the logistical and political-diplomatic foundations for American dominance in the Arctic region. Various parameters and scales of interaction between the Arctic states and the United States are being investigated, from their economic, political, and military cooperation, including through the use of force to realize their plans, to D. Trump’s idea of new territories joining the United States.

The article summarizes the results of the study conducted by the author among teachers and students of the university. The purpose of the study was to determine the priorities in the ideas of citizens about the meaning of patriotic education and about the tasks of strengthening the national security of Russia, which this education allows to solve. The study showed the relevance of such a direction of patriotic education of youth as the formation of a stable civic identity of the current generation of Russian citizens. Institutional and value guidelines are identifi ed, the linking of patriotic education of young citizens to which allows to increase the effectiveness of the process of forming their civic identities.

In the last few years, there has been unprecedented politicization of high-performance sports. Despite the fact that Russian scholars are actively analyzing various aspects related to this process, methods of combating manifestations of discriminatory policies towards Russian athletes remain insuffi ciently studied. The author off ers a set of options for counteracting the politicization of sports that Russia could hypothetically use in the current situation, and fi nds out the attitude of representatives of the expert community towards them. It turned out that the most eff ective means of combating negative effects of politicization today may be more active protection of domestic athletes by legal means, the use of sports diplomacy tools and widespread dissemination of pro-Russian media narratives in the global information space. It also turned out that the idea of holding our own, alternative international competitions does not currently arouse much enthusiasm among experts.