Vol 16, No 2 (2024)
Research Discourse: Generations
Forgotten Generation X. A Retrospective Look from the Future
Abstract
The conversation about generations reduces to people whose youth coincides with the contemporary times, with a growing interest to the problems and demands of those young people who demonstrate visible differences from the previous ones and cause anxiety or hope in adults. Generation X is from the past, the youth of Russian Xs is from the late 20th, early 21st century, if we focus on the accepted generational chronology. The relevance of talking about Generation X can be associated with the gaining popularity of the discussion about the 90s, about heroes and anti-heroes of the time of changes, hopes and disappointments. For the last 10-15 years, the main characters of the generational drama have been millennials and zoomers, while media attention is turning to the alpha generation, following the marketing experts. Generation X, people who belong to this group by birth, are lost between boomers and millennial and are almost forgotten. Turning to the research and projects of that time will allow us to focus on the characteristics of the “twenty-something” youth. A look back in time from a distance of 30-40 years will help to see what may have fallen out of sight and to find traces of the cultural activity of those youth in the present. The article will focus on the peculiarities of X gen youth times, on the symbolic and real battles on the cultural youth scenes, on the acceptance and resistance to the discursive construction of youth identity in the political, media and academic fields. The article will use references to the research projects conducted in those years, as well as to the publications on their results.
Interaction. Interview. Interpretation. 2024;16(2):10-28
10-28
Metaphorical Foundations of the Generational Imaginary of Urban Russian Youth
Abstract
The concept of generation has not lost its relevance for many decades; moreover, in the context of the erosion of traditional social classifications, it has acquired particular significance in the formation of social identities. Generational optics are actively used not only in academic debate, but also in political, media, and marketing. The names assigned to cohorts in public discussion become their name, sometimes a stigma or brand, but are not always recruited and used by individuals themselves to describe their generation. The metaphors used in generational names structure the understanding of a generation, its characteristics and place in the socio-historical process. Of particular interest is young people, who are actively building a picture of the world and defining their own generation. The article focuses on the metaphorical foundations of the generational imaginary of modern Russian youth. Based on the materials of 61 qualitative interviews with urban educated middle-class youth in St. Petersburg, four key metaphorical concepts of generation were identified, one of which is common to all the youth studied, three are cohort-specific. A common one involves the metaphor of “technological change”. Cohort-specific ones, reflecting both the difference in life stages and generational characteristics, are represented by the metaphor of “deceived hopes” among 30-year-olds, the metaphor of “children of the 90s” among 25-year-olds, and the metaphor of “moving forward” among 20-year-olds.
Interaction. Interview. Interpretation. 2024;16(2):29-49
29-49
Work Values in the Generational Aspect on the Example of Younger Millennials of Saint Petersburg
Abstract
The article examines the career trajectories and work values of thirty representatives of the generation of younger millennials living in St. Petersburg and employed in education and science, IT, industry and services, with a stable average income. Based on the analysis of semi-structured interviews, narratives about the importance of permanent employment of young people are described: the desired salary level, personal responsibility in the workplace, building relationships with colleagues, developing soft-skills and hard-skills, achieving stability and sustainability in life. Classism in the process of reproduction of labor values also remains a significant category. It is reflected in the narratives of informants about employment and is associated with gaining agency and independence in the process of gaining work experience.
Interaction. Interview. Interpretation. 2024;16(2):50-68
50-68
Research Reflection
Homelessness: Methodology, Emotional Involvement and the Researcher’s Role in Sensitive Field
Abstract
The focus of the article is a research reflection on the sociologist’s work in a vulnerable sensory field, using homelessness as an example, as well as an analysis of methodological aspects of studying this phenomenon. The author draws attention to the importance of discussing the challenges and dilemmas faced by social researchers during empirical data collection, as well as the language used by researchers and practitioners in conducting interviews and presenting results, avoiding exoticization and additional problematization of groups in vulnerable positions. The article touches on the place and role of the researcher in such fields, emotional involvement and boundary building, relationships with other experts and the challenges of choosing the most appropriate methodology. The empirical basis of the article is the data of the research conducted by the author in a qualitative paradigm over several years (N= 60).
Interaction. Interview. Interpretation. 2024;16(2):69-88
69-88
First Steps
Features of Intergenerational Family Communication of Millennials with Their Parents: Attitude to Marriage
Abstract
This article is devoted to the study of the problems of intergenerational communication within the family between representatives of the millennial generation and their parents about marriage and cohabitation. Based on empirical data, it was concluded that there are changes in the behavioral practices of marriage planning by the millennial generation in comparison with their parents (representatives of the reformed generation). Representatives of millennials postpone the moment of marriage and the practice of cohabitation is becoming more widespread, which was not typical for their parents. This article presents the results of a pilot study using the in-depth interview method and the case study method. Criteria were defined in the form of an analytical scheme for further research of this issue. It was also concluded that differences in the values and practices of two generations give rise to a variety of intergenerational communication — from solidarity to implicit conflict. However, it was proposed as a hypothesis to single out ambivalent solidarity as the main type of intergenerational communication in the form of resolving a value conflict without leading to a direct conflict.
Interaction. Interview. Interpretation. 2024;16(2):89-112
89-112
Intersectional Approach in Social Inequality Research: Group Project
Abstract
This article represents the results of an educational project aimed at testing the possibilities of an intersectional approach to describe the matrix of social inequality in the Russian context. Through an analysis of the narratives of eight informants belonging to potentially discriminated groups, the authors attempted to trace the connection between multidirectional vectors of discrimination in their life experiences. As a result, the boundaries of applicability of intersectional analysis were outlined, its methodological advantages and disadvantages were indicated, research reflection on the experience of using the concept was given, as well as recommendations for the further development of the educational project.Comparing the results of the work of colleagues, the authors came to the conclusion that the picture of a complex interweaving of hierarchy mechanisms in the cases considered often represented an “interlacement” of a key parameter of discrimination with a number of secondary ones, which created a complex, individualized pattern of stratification, deepened in the context of a specific social situation.A significant limitation of the intersectional approach is its dependence on context. The applicability of a structured interview for the implementation of this task within the framework of an intersectional approach also seems problematic. The authors of the reviewed texts analyzed the experience of one or two informants which is not enough to draw conclusions about the systemic nature of the detected problems. A larger sample of works should be used or other methods should be used, such as deepening existing information through the use of biographical interviews.This article presents the results of a group educational project conducted with the participation of a team of authors on the initiative of Elena Yuryevna Rozhdestvenskaya as part of the course “Biographical Method in Sociology” of the master’s program “Complex Social Analysis” of the Higher School of Economics.
Interaction. Interview. Interpretation. 2024;16(2):113-128
113-128