THE WAYS OF CONSOLIDATION OF UKRAINIAN SOCIETY : THEORETICAL AND PRACTICAL PROBLEMS

Abstract

Despite the growth of patriotism in Ukrainian society, the problem of its consolidation remains extremely relevant. The spread of neo-institutionalism in political science has affected understanding of the consolidation of society. P. Schmitter defined it as a choice of rules of a political game as a result of the consent of social actors. Consequently, consolidation is the result of the formation of social institutions, and not only political, but also economic, etc. At the same time, institutions can not only unite but also disunite people. Therefore, in order to realize their consolidation function, institutes should be inclusive, that is to incorporate a wide range of social groups without fragmentation of their sociocultural identity. An important direction of consolidation is the transformation of the political system. In Ukraine, it was a transition to a parliamentary-presidential republic. At the same time, it carries a number of risks. The same applies to such elements of political reform as the change of the electoral system, the decentralization of public administration. An important mechanism of consolidation is the policy of national memory, but the tactics of its implementation chosen current by the power can break the society more quickly. The need for the consolidation of socio-cultural split society requires the priority of the social and economic objectives of modernization. In this context, the development of education and science, of transport communications, of autoconstruction and aircraftconstruction, of energy efficiency and energy saving are the important factors. At the same time, it is doubtful that agrarian policy can play such a role in Ukraine. The emphasis on political, economic and other aspects of consolidation does not mean disregard of the ethnocultural aspects. B. Kravchenko distinguished two qualities of national consciousness, due, firstly, to the opposition to other peoples, and, secondly, to the creative interaction with them. The latest quality was the basis of such models of national consolidation as W. Kymlicka’s liberal model, A. Lijphart’s consociationalism so on. According to the author, the concept of a political nation contradicts the recognition by most of the Ukrainian scientists of the consolidation potential only for the title ethnos, its language, culture, and ignoring such a potential of other ethnic groups. In addition, the Ukrainian science ignores the fact that the countries of the world demonstrate different models of a political nation. For example, the French model assumes assimilation, while the Swiss model denies it. Analyzing the events around the new Law On Education, it was concluded that Ukrainian society should be defined not as bilingual, but as a multilingual one. Such recognition requires new approaches to linguistic policy. Strategic importance is acquired by such mechanisms as dialogue, mutual agreement of positions, aspiration for mutual understanding, warmth, etc.

Keywords: modernization, institutionalization, inclusive social institutions, political nation, multilingualism.