Images of a Professional Dynasty in the Modern Russian Scientific Environment

The present study focuses on academic dynasty as implementation of the concept of “professional dynasty”. It states that, in modern socio-humanitarian science, the approach focusing not on the descriptiveness of academic dynasties' achievements, but on the investigation of the problems of sustainability in professional values reproduction within the sociology of professions and in the context of professional structures transformation, with emphasis on not only constructive, but also destructive social effects of a dynasty, is becoming relevant. Within this approach, the author sets the problem of studying the patterns and features of the constructing of images of a professional dynasty in the modern Russian scientific environment. This will allow applying some “objective” parameters of the existence of academic dynasties as a social group to an imaginary identity. According to the empirical data obtained during interviews, the objectives are set to identify the features of positive and negative dynasty image design by members of the interviewed families, and to focus on the procedure and factors for the creation of retrospective and perspective images of their families as professional dynasties. The author draws a connection between the constructed image of a professional dynasty in general (its advantages and disadvantages as such) and the perception of oneself as a real participant in family dynasty strategies. In the latter case, it is possible to classify the obtained data into three groups, approximately equal in quantitative terms, in line with the “emotional” attribute - positive, neutral and skeptical. Of these, the first two form a fairly stable and effective image of dynastic ties in professional trajectories. It is also noted that the “skepticism” of the respondents' interpretations (group 3) derive from these three factors: concentration on personal efforts in the profession, underestimation of their own contribution to family achievements, and either complete or partial failure of professional selfrealization. The author also notes that the various evaluations that account for the transformations of the professional dynasty as a social phenomenon are attributable to the action of socio-psychological factors, such as characteristics of family members affecting the productivity of interpersonal interaction within the dynasty, the specificity of scientific creative activities as a special social environment, and the psychological basis of social interaction.

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