The Image of Politics as Perceived by Schoolchildren in the Regions of Russia and Kazakhstan: A Comparative Analysis

In order to predict the development of Russian political practices, the article analyzes the ideas of schoolchildren in some regions of Southwestern Siberia on the functions and structure of the political field, assesses their current and prospective level of involvement in the political process. Anthony Giddens's theory of stracturation of political action and Pierre Bourdieu's field theory became the methodology of the research. The empirical basis of the article rests on the data of mass surveys of schoolchildren of Grades 7 to 11 of Russian (Altai Krai, Kemerovo and Novosibirsk Oblasts, Altai Republic) and Kazakhstan (Pavlodar and East Kazakhstan) regions. Their cross-territorial comparison made it possible to assess the level of universalization of images of political fields, as well as positions of young people in them in the context of globalization and the information society. To reach their objectives, the authors analyzed the level and structure of schoolchildren's interest in politics, their knowledge of the main political events and personalities, ideas about the role and configuration of the political field, the existing experience of political participation and attitudes to acceptable political practices. The study revealed a high level of schoolchildren's interest in the political sphere. However, the situational character of obtaining political information mainly from social networks and news feeds of Internet resources leads to a lack of a systematic view on the political sphere and a fragmented character of information about it. Information about the executive power prevails in schoolchildren's knowledge about political leaders, since the media mostly cover this power's activities, and the society is convinced in its leading role in the Russian political system. Besides, schoolchildren know only political events that have received a wide response on the Internet. Modern schoolchildren get involved in networking rather early thus expanding the range of political practices available to them. Their online activity predominates over offline activity. This situation is translated into schoolchildren's political attitudes. Most of them are disposed to implement non-institutionalized forms of political practices and forms of political activity that are not associated with direct personal involvement in solving social problems. In the context of the current practices of the political field and the habitus of the Russian society, schoolchildren consider regulatory and control functions to be the main ones. They see the state as the dominant agent of politics which must ensure the rule of law and conditions for the realization of political rights and freedoms of citizens. The comparative analysis of data from Russia and Kazakhstan has revealed the identity of the observed trends which overlap for both countries.

Keywords

Authors

References