№ 3 - 2000
Semenenko I.S.
Transformation of Criteria for Self-Identification in Socio-Cultural and Political Multidimensional Space: the Western Paradigm and the Russian Context

The article contains analysis of the changes in the character of culture consumption in the «post-modern» era. These changes are discussed in the context of the globalization process going on, with the local level of social and cultural integration gaining in importance - as a response to the «McDonaldization» phenomenon. The author points out the impact of interest groups’ activities on the formation of the Western socio-cultural paradigm, and evaluates the role of the State and of corporations, international organizations, professional and third sector groups and their networks in this process. The research is, furthermore, focused on the contemporary Russian context. The level of Big metropolis is examined as a field of efficient interaction between the local political elite, interest groups and the electorate, with, specifically, cultural interest groups producing such specific «goods for mass consumption», which are successfully used as a leverage of social stabilization on the local level.