Sociocultural integration policy in multi-ethnic societies: underlying concepts and methodological approaches

Abstract

The author conducts a comparative analysis of sociocultural integration policy’s concepts in contemporary social theory. The article deals with the main directions of conceptual interpretation of sociocultural integration policy in competing theoretical paradigms. The theoretical tradition of sociocultural integration’s analysis is associated with the conceptual confrontation of conflict theory, citizenship theory, multiculturalism, neofunctionalism, and normative concepts of sociocultural integration. The conceptual contradiction lies in the interpretation of sociocultural integration as a way of resolving ethnocultural conflicts in pluralistic societies. Conflict resolution theorists rely on the analysis of conflict nature of mobilised ethnicity; multiculturalists proceed from the normativity of cultural pluralism and hyper-ethnic identification; representatives of the neofunctionalist paradigm, theory of citizenship and normative concepts of integration interpret the status of cultural groups from the standpoint of political participation, equality of opportunity, and imperative sociocultural integration. This paper substantiates that sociocultural integration policy as conflict management strategy seeks to create constructive conditions for the conflict-free balance between cultural and ethnic groups. Sociocultural integration policy forms ethical-normative and structural forms of social interactions: ethnic and cultural groups integrate to avoid destructive cultural conflicts, save the integrity of social system and contribute to political stability, social justice, cultural pluralism, inter-ethnic consensus, and civil solidarity