On the sidelines of life: marginality phenomenon in the urban environment

On the sidelines of life:
marginality phenomenon in the urban environment


Dadaeva T.M.

Dr. Sci. (Sociol.), Prof. National Research Mordovian State University of N.P. Ogarev, Saranck, Russia. dadaeva13@mail.ru

Spiridonova K.M.

Undergraduate, Department of Sociology N.P. Ogarev Mordovia State University, Saransk, Russia spiridonova.ksusha@yandex.ru

ID of the Article:


For citation:

Dadaeva T.M., Spiridonova K.M. On the sidelines of life: marginality phenomenon in the urban environment. Sotsiologicheskie issledovaniya [Sociological Studies]. 2017. No 8. P. 118-123




Abstract

The economic crisis in Russian society of the 1990-s caused massive downward social mobility, resulting in a marginal stratum of people thrown out of the old social structure and trying to enter into new, recently formed social groups and strata. In the cities, there were vagabonds, tramps, homeless people, beggars who have lost touch with their social groups, and were in a situation of social identification’s uncertainty. In this regard, sociological analysis of the population’s marginal practices in modern conditions is particularly relevant. We consider three main approaches to conceptualizing marginality: cultural marginality, marginality of social role and structural marginality. With regard to our study the most fruitful concept of social (structural) marginality, is related to the marginal position of individuals or of social groups in the society’s social structure and is defined as an intermediate position between the structural units, or the lowest position in the social hierarchy. In order to identify the factors, the causes of the individuals transition to marginalized groups and determine the conditions of their life in January and February 2016 we conducted a qualitative sociological research (biographical interview) in marginalized groups (homeless people, beggars) of Saransk “The margin in the urban environment” (20 interviews). Guide of interview included following thematic blocks: the causes and experience of marginal practices, livelihoods, living conditions and lifestyles, the ratio of marginal groups so on. It concluded that the main reasons for falling into marginal stratum of society are: the loss of family relationships, alcohol abuse (often after divorce and the loss of family ties), property loss, imprisonment and the loss of adaptive mechanisms. Many are undocumented. The men of working age after 40 to 50 years dominated among marginal groups of Saransk. Most of them have secondary vocational education, many are graduates of orphanages after, there are people with disabilities. Not all are on equal financial terms, there are those who receive old-age or disability pension and earn by begging, most do not have a permanent residence and livelihood, are often residents of the night stay homers.


Keywords
marginal; marginality; cultural marginality; marginality of social role; structural marginality; marginal groups; social bottom; vagabonds; tramps; homeless people; beggars

References

Anikin V.A., Soloviev R.A. (2013–2014) The employable at the church porch: Phenomenon of labour force lumpenization in Russia. Sotsiologicheskiy ezhegodnik [Sociological yearbook]. Moscow: 114–128. (In Russ.)

Atoyan А.I. (1993) Social Marginalistics. Polis. Politicheskie issledovaniya [Polis. Political Studies] No. 6: 29–39. (In Russ.)

Baturenko S.А. (2011) Researches of Underclass in Modern Russian society: Basic methodological approaches. Vestnik moskovskogo universiteta [Announcer of the Moscow University]. No. 1: 44–51. (In Russ.)

Karlinski I.N. (2004) Analysis of social and legal position of homeless in modern Russia. Saint-Petersburg: Delta. (In Russ.)

Marginality in Modern Russia (2000). Collective monograph. Balabanova E.S., Burluckaja M.G., Demin A.N., Klimov I.A., Petrova L.E., Popova I.P. Moscow: MONF. (In Russ.)

On the Fractures of Social Structure (1987). Galkin А.А., ed. Moscow. (In Russ.)

Park R. E. (1998) Human migration and the marginal man. Sotsial’nye i gumanitarnye nauki. Ser. 11 Sotsiologia [Social and Humanitarian Sciences. Sеr. 11 of the Sociology]. No. 3: 5–16. (In Russ.)

Popova I.P. (1999) New marginal groups. Russian society (Theoretical aspects of research). Sotsiologicheskie issledovaniya [Sociological studies]. No. 7: 62–72. (In Russ.)

Rimashevskay N.М. (2004) Poverty and Marginalization of Population (Social bottom). Sotsiologicheskie issledovaniya [Sociological studies]. No. 4: 33–44. (In Russ.)

Social and Legal Aspects of Homelessness Problem in Russia on Materials of Inter-Regional Research (2007) (A.N. Nikiforov, А.М. Оsipov, Е. Renn and other) Saint-Petersburg. (In Russ.)

Starikov Е. (1991) Marginals. In: In the human dimension. Мoscow. (In Russ.)

Stivenson S.А. (1996) About the phenomenon of homelessness. Sotsiologicheskie issledovaniya [Sociological studies]. No. 8: 26–33. (In Russ.)

Stounkvist A. (1979) The Marginal Man. Research of personality and cultural conflict. Modern foreign ethnopsychology. Мoscow. (In Russ.)

Shibutany Т. (1999) Social psychology. Rostov-on-Don: Feniks. (In Russ.)

Zavyalov F.N., Spiridonova F.N. (2000) Level and way of homeless persons life. Sotsiologicheskie issledovaniya [Sociological studies]. No. 2: 63–69. (In Russ.)

Zimmel G. (2008) Digression about an alien. The Sociological theory: history, contemporariness, prospects. Al’manakh zhurnala “Sotsiologicheskoe obozrenie” [Almanac of the journal “Sociological review”]. Moscow. (In Russ.)

Content No 8, 2017