ISSN online: 2221-1616

Bulletin of the Institute of Sociology (Vestnik instituta sotziologii)

Research Article

Yuriy V. Latov Doctor of Sociology, Associate professor,
Institute of Sociology of FCTAS RAS, Moscow, Russia
latov@mail.ru
ORCID ID=0000-0001-7566-4192
Nataliya V. Latova Candidate of Sociology
Institute of Sociology of FCTAS RAS, Moscow, Russia
NLatova@gmail.com
ORCID ID=0000-0001-9315-2588
Demand for change" in sociology and in the media (in memory of V.V. Petukhov - "Inventor" of the concept/meme).
Vestnik instituta sotziologii. 2022. Vol. 13. No. 2. P. 73-86

The study was financially supported by the Russian Foundation for Basic Research, project “Social Transformation of Russian Society: Actors of the Demand for Change” No. 19-011-00277.

Topic: Sociology of change

For citation:
Latov Y. V., Latova N. V. Demand for change" in sociology and in the media (in memory of V.V. Petukhov - "Inventor" of the concept/meme). Vestnik instituta sotziologii. 2022. Vol. 13. No. 2. P. 73-86
DOI: https://doi.org/10.19181/vis.2022.13.2S.817. EDN: FJHZAH



Abstract

One of the little-known merits of Vladimir Vasilievich Petukhov is the “invention” of the scientific term (and a media meme as well) “demand for change”, proved popular in recent years. Based on the ideas of the sociology of concepts and materials of content and discourse analysis of Russian media using SCAN-Interfax, the article attempts to trace the formation and development of this concept/meme, as well as to determine its content. First used in the late 1990s, it became viral at the turn of the 2000s-2010s, allowing to record the ups and downs of general social discontent, whilst at the same time not allowing to decide how this discontent correlates with traditional designations of socio-political conflicts. “Deciphering” the concept of “demand for change” requires understanding whether we are talking about the desire of modern Russians for revolutionary or evolutionary changes. V.V. Petukhov himself leaned towards an evolutionist interpretation, believing that the request for, first all, the expansion of democratic participation is far from a "revolutionary situation". The final answer about the essence of this social phenomenon can only be given by the next decade of Russian history.

 

Keywords

demand for change, sociology of concepts, social consciousness, evolutionary and revolutionary changes

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Содержание спецвыпуска Vestnik instituta sotziologii. 2022. Vol. 13. No. 2