Symbolic capital of the place: notion, peculiarities of accumulation, research methods

Russian cities and regions in modern conditions are forced to increase the factors of adaptability to dynamic processes and to compete with other territories for the attraction of resources (tourism, financial, social, etc.) Often this competition is provided by the accumulation and use of symbolic capital of the place in a promotion of territorial brands, in making positive image of the place, in actualization of unique events and experiences, and in the capitalization of “genius of the place”. The theory of symbolic capital was developed in the writings of the famous sociologist and philosopher P. Bourdieu. The problem of studying the symbolic capital of the place is interdisciplinary. From the perspective of cultural studies, providing the opportunity of an integrative approach, it is possible to theoretically substantiate the concept of the symbolic capital of the place as a tool of transformation of the territorial environment. The symbolic capital of the place is a set of important elements (meanings) of territorial environment, which provide a local place recognition, fame, prestige, credibility of different social groups. The significance of the elements and practices of the territorial environment can be revealed through the use of a number of concepts that form the basis of scientific discourse: credibility, character space, territorial identity, “spirit of the place”, collective memory, etc. The main characteristic of the symbolic capital of the place is its ability to convert and accumulate. The ability to convert, i.e. to change from one state to another, is a major basis for the symbolic capital, because its value lies in the ability to influence the development of economic, social, and political processes. The accumulation of symbolic capital of the place is the most important parameter, which study has a practical potential for growth of competitiveness of Russian territories and actualization of cultural potential of cities and regions. The methods and conditions of accumulation of the symbolic capital of the place are very diverse and are considered on the basis of various categories and approaches: from the communicative trajectories, taking into account the division into internal and external methods of accumulation, to the generation and representation of images of territorial environment, branding of the place, branding strategies and the formalization of names and statuses of the place. Among the methods of studying symbolic capital of the place, there are such as expert interviews, the study of mental maps of the inhabitants of the territory, discursive and semiotic analysis of art and myth-symbolic practices of the territory, as well as analysis of media discourse. The concept of “symbolic marker of the territory” can be used for the research of the symbolic capital of the place. The symbolic marker is a visual or verbal fixator of territorial meanings - iconic universal category for the empirical selection of information about the symbolic capital of a city or region.

Keywords

Authors

References