Narkhova E.N., Chegodaeva T.A. The Phenomenon of the University Ball in the Educational Space

Abstract: The object of the research are the issues of national and sub-cultural identity of students in a global and pluralistic space of the Russian society. The author focus their attention on the necessity to examine the inconsistencies regarding the intergenerational continuity, preservation of historically traditional social basis and national identity under the conditions of global changes. The authors also mention the relevance of the issue of self-identification during the periods of social transformations.  The subject of the research in this context is the phenomenon of a student ball as an indicator of a student sub-culture. The authors study leisure preferences of the students, considering leisure activities as a form of personal self-fulfilment and sociocultural integration. In this connection, the question regarding the correlation between the intended process of socialisation and quantitatively superior spontaneous effect on a person is of special relevance. Solving this inconsistency lies in the purposeful activity of social institutions oriented at the formation of correspondence between personally meaningful and socially meaningful, at the formation of universal human values of the young generation. The research is based on the theoretical assumptions of O. Zakharova, G. Zborovsky, M. Lotman, K. Olkhovikov about the role of culture in the formation of values and orientations of the Russian intellectual strata, where students also belong, as well as on the leisure traditions and materials of regional and local sociological researches. Based on the received empirical data, the authors prove that spontaneous formation of the students' values under the conditions of polystylistic culture, without any preservation of basics of the national culture is a threat regarding the loss of not only sub-cultural, but also national identity. At the same time, the analysis of the national basis of the Russian upbringing is necessary to keep the required national traditions in the global polycultural space. It is justified that a ball is a form of resurrection of the Russian cultural traditions demanded by the youth, and the contemporary ball culture has a strong impact on the personal development and spiritual perception of the world. The ball as a cultural phenomenon allows to solve the tasks of education and upbringing, and promotes the preservation of national and sub-cultural identity. 

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