Abstract: The subject of this article is the impact of urban toponymy upon the identity of Irkutsk residents. The goal is to study the specificity of formation and development, impact on peoples’ identity, and the prospects of transformation of street names in the city of Irkutsk. The author also explores the legislative contradictions and mechanisms for their solution with regards to the names of streets and squares, which form the common sociocultural space of the urban landscape. The work considers the symbolic impact of toponymic heritage upon the urban space and atmosphere, as well as the citizens themselves. The scientific novelty is defined by the fact that the names of urban toponymies in Irkutsk neither culturally, nor even historically, correspond with its established historical image. The author underlines the disruption of the “urban culture myth” (unity of name and space of the city), which ultimately affects the perception of city by its residents, as well the tourists, who make a material contribution to its development. Therefore, there is a need for toponymic restoration in Irkutsk. The main conclusion lies in the fact that the great majority of Irkutsk toponymies do not have a response from text images in the cultural and historical context of the city. However, as demonstrated by the analysis of historical center of the city, the “Soviet” names are still attenuated with the harmonious symbolic images, which carry positive information about the history of Irkutsk, emphasizing its historical status and forming a distinct sociocultural identity of the residents.

Abstract: The subject of this research is the results of sociological survey of the Toponymy of Irkutsk in perception of its residents. The article discusses the key problems related to renaming of the streets of historical city and associated with it socio-cultural and routine transformation of the conditions and peculiarities of life of the Irkutsk residents. The author generalizes the existing inconsistencies and suggests the alternatives for alleviating the social tension and discontent. The solution methods of toponymic inconsistencies through the binomial names of streets and squares of the city. Methodology contains the standardized interview of the city residents, conducted with the help of quota sampling: based on the gender and age. The scientific novelty in indication of the major problems in streets renaming, determination of the moral-ethnical and routine difficulties that are faced by the residents of renamed streets in Irkutsk. The author demonstrates the options of the sociopolitical modelling and pressure that can be understood vaguely by the city population, and thus have ambiguous consequences.  

Abstract: The subject of this study is the conditions of socialization of modern humanism through the processes of regional identity. Special place is given to the regional identity that forms the basic conditions of sociocultural solidarity of regional communities and consolidation of the country as a whole. The article examines the archetypes of the Russians, which define a distinct sociocultural environment of the development of humanism alongside the peculiarities of development of social capital in various regions of the country. The authors reveals the specificities of socialization of the modern humanism through the individual, group and regional peculiarities substantiated by the sociocultural distinction of Russian civilization. Methodology is based on the comparative analysis of humanistic psychology and sociology that determines the sociocultural orientations, as well as individual-personal strategies of adjustment to the changing circumstances of the socialization of humanism. The scientific novelty is traced in conjunction of the sociocultural grounds of the national unity, expresses in the archetypes, representations, and ideologies of the Russians and the principles of humanism in daily life, which defines the conditions and character of social capita, processes of sociocultural solidarity and regional identity of the Russians in the modern context.

Abstract: The author examines the correlation between ethnic and religious in the spiritual practices of modernity. Meaning of the notion of religious experience through the prism of thinking and understanding of social reality is revealed. Phenomenon of self-alienation is viewed as an essential foundation of religious experience. The author thoroughly reviews and structures of peculiarities of transformation of ethnic and religious within the spiritual revolution of modern era. The conclusion is made of the form, structure, and specificities of the ethnic and religious experience in daily practice and philosophical perception of reality. The scientific novelty traces that the disruption of link between the religious experience and ethnic self-consciousness emerges with assumption of the borrowed religious experience as a result of losing the understanding of own experience as a sensitive reflection regarding finding the ethnic wisdom. The author demonstrated evolution of such perception, as well as assesses the prospect of further transformation.

Abstract: The subject of this research is the technology of creating a city brand. The work considers the theoretical insights existing in the world and Russia that reveal the tasks, technologies and tools of territorial branding. The article gives a systematic development strategy (of the tasks set in the beginning of research) and their practical implementation (through the developed brand concepts) of a concert municipal formation (Angarsk urban district). The authors describe the key idea of Angarsk brand and the form of its implementation in the practice of municipality, business representatives and city residents. The main result of this work consists in combining the theoretical scheme, set tasks and practical implementation of the development of city brand in practice of the municipality. The value of this work lies in the step-by-step analysis of technological task card, which allows obtaining the desired product – the city brand concept based on representations of the residents, existing eidetic memory of the city, forms and mechanism of application of such phenomenon in the course of city development.

Abstract: This article demonstrates that Irkutsk, being a historical city of the Russian Federation and oriented towards the development of tourism, has a number of unresolved issues associated with typonymy. Such questions are often discussed at different levels – from the local mass media to city administration. Toponyms in the city of Irkutsk can be generally characterized as the reflection of a strong print of the previous government regime, whether or not it corresponds with the historical image and preserved historical heritage. The described situation creates problems on the path of establishment of the historically factored image of a city, necessary for the harmonious comprehension of city and in the context of plans for the advancement of tourism. The work carries an interdisciplinary character, and is depicted through socio-political and historical-cultural approach within the framework of the problem of typonymy and city image. The socio-political approach is reflected in examination of the problem through the prism of influence of political views of the citizens alongside the political situation in a particular case of study; while the historical-cultural approach implies a complex examination of such historical segment, which significantly affected the cultural development of symbols of the city of Irkutsk. At the same time, takes place the symbolic construction of territorial identity of Irkutsk residents through the previous, current, and future names of the streets and squares of Irkutsk. Despite the opinion of the supporters of typonomic restoration, the primary task in popularization of such idea among the city residents must consist not in the explanatory work about the value and following advantages, but rather debunking of myths and delusions pertaining to the expenses that are the main stumbling block in this question. However, the author underlines that at the present time, mass media covers the information on toponymic restoration of the cults quite inappropriately, which escalates the associated with it deceptions in the society. Due to this fact, the initiators of toponymic restoration must provide adequate information to the population, as well as mass media; otherwise, the process of information distribution to population can receive a low level of trust.

Abstract: The subject of research is the empathy as a way of understanding the man and the world. The object of the study advocates the epistemological and ontological understanding of empathy place in the social reproduction of society. Particular attention is paid to the processes of social solidarity and disintegration, coming during the action or lack of empathy. Empathy is the condition and the possibility of social solidarity and social dynamics, especially when breaking down the basic categories of the social world order and form new strategies of social interactions and development. The methodological basis of research supports the social constructivism and the theory of social representations. These areas form a common methodological framework for analysis of social processes and allow you to systematically analyze social dynamics. The novelty of the research is determined by the fact that in times of social change, economic and political crises, cultural and spiritual transformation, an important aspect of the integrity of society advocates social identity. Social identity demarcates the social space, clearly is a group of "friends", and gives a sense of security to members of the community. One of the key factors in the formation of social identity acts empathy - a sense of belonging a group, or action that defines the degree of social solidarity community. Social empathy is a complex phenomenon which contains as its structural elements the collective, as well as personal identity. An important element of these processes is the understanding of the formation and the impact of socio-cultural foundations of empathy are not equally manifested in different social groups of the modern Russian society.

Abstract: The subject of this research is the public perceptions. The authors give particular attention to the public perceptions of social success, because they allow assessing the values and norms, ideals and idols, which dominate in society during the specific historical period. Changes in perceptions allows tracing the forms and vectors of transformation of the society, as well as determine the causes and consequences of social dynamics. Attention is also focused on the gender division in perceptions of social success. Sociocultural prerequisites and local conditions for development of gender differences are being revealed. The methodology of the research is structured upon the study of public perceptions through the principles of social construction and symbolic functionalism. The main conclusion consists in the fact that changes in the ideals of public consciousness regarding the development of social success among men and women carries an ambiguous character. On one hand, this transformation is influenced by the sociocultural changes that take place in the society, forcing people to adjust to them; and on the other hand, strong cultural-traditional framework integrated in life, which limit the scheme of possible changes in attitude towards success. Men and women choose different strategies of adjustment towards new circumstances; thus, their perceptions of “success” also differ. The scientific novelty consists in analysis of the specificity of social success in public perceptions of the Russians.  

Abstract: The subject of this article is the examination of various examples of Simulativeness within the structure of modern society that substantiates the antinomy of social reproductions and social dynamics. A qualitative index of the social shifts that led to the formation of simulative space and images in the modern culture, is the stages of social reflexion of the current processes. The authors thoroughly analyze the sociopolitical and cultural-economic shifts in parallel with the sociocultural and spiritual-moral changes over the recent years. These factors result in the establishment of a new ideology of the social reproduction of the country. Scientific novelty consists in the systemic analysis of the antinomies of social development, as well as in detection of the simulative images and forms of social reproduction. This work presents a detailed analysis on the symbolic and cognitive level of the existing sociocultural transformations within the various spheres of social life: economics, politics, culture, religion, values, and others.