Теория социокультурных систем \english\

his article is the first brief, but hopefully more or less systematical presentation of the theory of socio-cultural systems to an English-reading audience. It is actually the translation of the essay “Morphology of the Socio-Cultural Formations” written originally in Russian, but with some extras added to present here a more complete idea of the theory. Researches in this direction are conducted by the author since 1984, but not so many works were published until 1997. Those that were - fortunately or unfortunately - all are in Russian.

During these years the author lived and worked in several countries and regions of the World: in 1985/87 it was People’s Republic of China, in 1991/92 - Federal Republic of Germany, in 1992/93 - Republic of South Africa, in 1994 - the USA, and in 1995/97 - South Africa again. The result is real, personalized, not just read about observations of various socio-cultural types of spaces.

The work on the theory is going on. In 1998/99 we intend to make ready for publishing - in both Russian and English - texts on socio-cultural interpretations of demographic processes and current demographic situation in the World, state and political boundaries, wars and regional conflicts, economics and money, social processes in various socio-cultural systems. Some of these directions are explored in co-opearation with our loyal colleagues and co-authors, and Tatyana Nikolaenko in particular.

January 10th, 1998

Simferopol, Crimea

In this first small chapter we wish to define more precisely the principal terms used further. It’s always quite complicated procedure, but in this particular case we can do it quite correctly after describing indicative qualities of every main socio-cultural formation. We do not even hope to present here a completely exhaustive, maximum correct definitions, and in general don’t believe such “statements of a things’ precise meaning” make any particular sense. It seems more important to define certain theoretical basis that would make it possible to successively and exactly distinguish one socio-cultural formation or process from another, along the whole length of their historical evolution. Complexity of this task is that socio-cultural formations and processes have very long life terms and exist as an astonishing diversity of specific external forms. With it all, their essence remains one and the same. Variety of the socio-cultural formations’ and processes’ specific forms makes defining the terminology used here quite a practical problem.

HOMELAND - the most profoundly transformed in a socio-cultural respect territory where representatives of a certain socio-cultural formation lived and / or still live during historically prolonged interval of time, absolutely securing this territory as their own. Homeland’s territory is always furiously protected and defended from any outside invasions. Representatives of the alien socio-cultural formations may be present there only for a brief time and with many a restrictions that especially concerns homelands of socio-cultural systems.

Territories of the Urals and Moscow region may serve as the examples of the Russian homeland. They were assimilated in accordance with Russian standards and are clearly interpreted as Russian homeland, though duration of these territories’occupation by the Russian population differs essentially.

SOCIO-CULTURAL SYSTEM (SCS) - type of the socio-cultural formations dominating in a socio-cultural evolution. SCS-s include main part of the World’s population and inhabited territories. SCS-s are characterized by great sizes of their territories and considerable quantities of own population; they possess original standards of a space, society and state organisation as well as many a unique qualities because of those they do differ drastically from the rest of the socio-cultural formations.

Unique characteristics of SCS-s are as follows:

• ability to expand own homeland at the expense of socio-cultural assimilation of a new territories;
• ability to generate complicated structure of own space, with internal buffer zones, in order to protect and defend itself from other SCS-s;
• complete cycle of the space socio-cultural assimilation which includes seven principal stages;
• domination of the inner logics over outer factors which are always used in a strict correspondence with the SCS’ evolution internal order;
• ability to create naturally dependent vassals in a course of socio-cultural transformation of other territories;
• own world religion, or its own unique version;
• ability to widen a circulation of own language outside own homeland, and first of all - in the internal buffer zone and among the naturally dependent vassals;
• reliability and self-sufficiency of own economy;
• ability to generate and invent stable original economic standards and forms which may have no analogues outside a particular SCS.

There are eight SCS-s, and in the process of their evolution each of them goes through seven stages. With this, at every stage SCS-s acquire specific distinguished forms. Thus, there are 56 essentially different external forms of SCS-s to understand which we should base all the theoretical interpretations on a correct generalization of a very high level.

INTERNAL BUFFER ZONE OF SCS - qualitatively original and distinctive socio-cultural part of the SCS’s space that is always located on the “outskirts” of the SCS’s homeland, along its borders with other socio-cultural formations. Internal buffer zone is destined mainly to protect homeland of a particular SCS from immediate contacts with alien SCS-s and their possible aggression. It may border with an external socio-cultural buffer zone as well as an internal buffer zone of a neighbouring SCS. Organization of an internal buffer zone is characterized by many a distinctive qualities determined by the specific evolutionary process of the SCS this particular buffer zone belongs to.

Example of the internal buffer zone of the past is the territory of the Great Novgorod Principality which, during socio-cultural contest of Russian SCS of the XI - XVI centuries, protected Russian homeland from the invasions of Western SCS. Modern internal buffer zone of Russian SCS is formed by the new independent states rising after the collapse and transformation of the USSR. All of them, excluding Belarus and Kazakhstan, have formed internal buffer zone of Russian SCS, irrespective of their own wishes as well as - and especially - declarations.

NATURALLY DEPENDENT VASSAL - relatively integral territory with own population that retains some unprincipal differences from the neighbouring, dominating over it SCS, but became this SCS’ inalienable part as a result of prolonged and systematic socio-cultural transformation. It is important that sizes of states - naturally dependent vassals may vary essentially: the point isn’t size in itself, but a special socio-cultural type of these formations.

Naturally dependent vassals may possess a considerable amount of political and economic independence, have quite complicated, and at times conflicting, relationships with their dominants, being actually just a part of a dominating SCS.

In fact, they practically cannot change their socio-cultural status, and the point isn’t just separate, single economic or political actions, but socio-cultural measures that should be conducted successively during several centuries and (most probably) on the competing SCS’ own initiative. Only initiative or, especially, declaratory wishes of a naturally dependent vassal itself are never quite enough to change its socio-cultural status, and not a single example of a naturally dependent vassal really changing its status is known. Study of eight SCS-s along the whole length of their history demonstrates that if some territory was formed as a naturally dependent vassal of a certain SCS, then it remains as such forever.

Example of a naturally dependent vassals are modern, now politically independent states rising on the basis of the disintegrated former USSR. All of them, excluding only Belarus and Kazakhstan, are naturally dependent vassals of Russia.

EXTERNAL SOCIO-CULTURAL BUFFER ZONE - type of the socio-cultural formations that evolves to separate two or more alien SCS-s. As a rule, external buffer zones border not immediately with the SCS-s, but with their internal buffer zones completely controlled by their own SCS-s. External buffer zone as a special socio-cultural formation is characterized by extreme instability and dependence on dynamics of those SCS-s it separates.

East Europe may serve as the classic example of the external buffer zone, being a special type of the socio-cultural formation which separates Western and Russian SCS-s.

SOCIO-CULTURAL DOMAIN (SCD) - type of the socio-cultural formations that is quite similar to socio-cultural system, but possesses a substantial quantity of a principal distinctions. It’s characterized by stable and prolonged existence as well as specific economic, social and cultural forms. Fundamental differences compare to SCS are that SCD-s are categorically unable to assimilate and transform new territories into own homeland, expanding it with this, and create naturally dependent vassals: so, there is no systematic work with space as in case of a socio-cultural systems. The effect is a sort of socio-cultural conservation: SCD-s do not change / expand their own space and in general do not evolve in themselves during very prolonged periods; modern results of such phenomenon are quite modest sizes of their territories. Another essential SCD-s distinction from SCS-s manifests itself in their extraordinary situational behaviour.

At the present level of knowledge about socio-cultural formations and processes, there is no possibility to determine the reasons for emerging differences of socio-cultural systems and domains with respect to space, but it’s possible to describe all the details and components of these distinctions.

MIXED SOCIO-CULTURAL REGION - territory that has no distinct internal socio-cultural dominant and where various socio-cultural formations (SCS-s, SCD-s and buffer zones) co-exist. As a rule, these are regions of the young historical assimilation which, in some perspective, gain socio-cultural certainty, but with this may retain in their boundaries presence of a several socio-cultural formations. Most probable evolution of a mixed socio-cultural regions is into naturally dependent vassals and external buffer zones, and as a more rare case - into part of the homeland of some SCS.

ENCLAVE - territory of a historically temporary domination of a particular SCS within another socio-cultural formation. Genesis and evolution of enclaves are diverse and in many respects depend on a specific characteristics of a particular SCS’ dynamics. As a rule, enclaves are generated during process of expanding areas controlled by one or another SCS. They carry out important socio-cultural tasks, but are not lasting as from historical point of view. Next in turn stage of the SCS evolution may become the reason for enclave’s degradation, even in the absence of an external pressure.

ENCLAVE-COMMUNITY WITHIN ALIEN SCS - critical self-reproducible quantity of one SCS’ population permanently living on the territory of another SCS and retaining with this own specific socio-cultural standards. Enclave-community reproduces itself by means of both natural growth and mechanical migrations of population from maternal SCS into SCS of permanent inhabitance. Enclave-communities are most typical for the regions of mixed socio-cultural as well as pioneer inhabitance.

As the classical example we may consider black inhabitants of North America, and the USA in particular.

SOCIO-CULTURAL CONTEST - process which is inherent only for socio-cultural systems. Its socio-cultural meaning lies in developing and selecting the most efficient, in a specific historical conditions, socio-cultural basis for a certain SCS which should determine further ways of solving this SCS’ most fundamental and principal problems. Socio-cultural contests may take place at various stages of the SCS-s evolution and, as a rule, in a form of a cycle of civil wars, domestic quarrels and feuds, economic and cultural depression. They do usually leave the very gloomy and strange memories in the following generations and become the subject of subsequent falsifications from the side of their very own SCS-s. In reality, socio-cultural contests are absolutely necessary for the efficient growth and development of any SCS and are a kind of its response to changing arrangements of socio-cultural powers.

SOCIO-CULTURAL MIGRATIONS (SOCIO-CULTURALLY SIGNIFICANT MIGRATIONS) - migrations that are directed outside the traditional homeland of a certain SCS and aimed at the socio-cultural transformation of the alien territories into the new homeland of the SCS in question, or creating its naturally dependent vassals. Such migrations are the unique quality of SCS-s. Specific causes that bring them about may be very different, but, as a rule, manifest themselves through generating a sort of the “end of the World” within traditional homeland.

Example of the migrations aimed at the expanding the own homeland is eastward flight of Russians onto new territories in Siberia and Far East as from the second half of the XVI century, and especially - as from the second half of the XVII century. The result of the “time of troubles” within the traditional - at the time - Russian homeland and the Russian Orthodox church schism were mass migrations of the Russian population to new lands which thus became the new Russian homeland - not the result of a fortuitous, but socio-culturally grounded process.

Processes of the rise and growth of the Cossacks in Moscow Tsardom and Russian Empire as well as resettlements of a considerable numbers of Russians in Baltic Republics and Middle Asia during Soviet times may serve as the examples of the migrations aimed at the creating naturally dependent vassals. Results of such “melting” actions and processes began revealing themselves only after the USSR disintegration. Transformed in a socio-cultural respect territories turned out to be greatly dependent from Russia.

Such processes are of universal character and take place in the evolution of actually all the SCS-s - socio-cultural migrations are not unique for any one of them.

Below, once more, is the list of the unique qualities and indications of socio-cultural systems:

Here is the list of the socio-cultural formations existing by the end of the XX century. They went through some evolution and are now at the different stages of their development. Morphology of the socio-cultural formations is described in detail by their time-spatial models.

Socio-cultural systems: Barbarian-Nomadic SCS, Black African SCS, Chinese SCS, Hindu SCS, Muslim SCS, Russian SCS, South-American SCS, Western SCS

Socio-cultural domains: Japanese SCD, Judaic SCD, Northern SCD

Socio-cultural buffer zones

We’re talking here only about external socio-cultural buffer zones located between different SCS-s. External socio-cultural buffer zones are at present at the various stages of their evolution and differ drastically one from another. None the less, they are clearly defined as the formations of a specific socio-cultural type.

Let’s cut the vast list of external buffer zones down to just two examples so that do not go deep into extensive explanations regarding complicated structures of these complex socio-cultural formations: 1. East-European buffer zone (Poland, Czechia, Slovakia, Hungary, Romania, Bulgaria). 2. North-European buffer zone (Finland, Sweden, Norway)

Mixed socio-cultural regions: Islands of Pacific and Indian Oceans, Israel and Palestine, South-East Asia

1. Initial period of the Barbarian-Nomadic SCS existence, surrounded by neighbours not internally ready to integrate with it socio-culturally (from ansient times until I century AD)

2. Establishing the buffer zone with Western SCS (I century - end of the IV century AD)

3. Socio-cultural integration of Barbarian-Nomadic and Western SCS. Rise of the renewed Western SCS (end of the IV century - second half of the VII century AD)

4. Creating the buffer zones between Barbarian-Nomadic SCS and all of its neighbouring SCS-s (from second half of the VII century until late XII century)

5. Socio-cultural integration of Barbarian-Nomadic SCS with all the neighbouring, accessible to it SCS-s. Socio-cultural assimilation of the Barbarian-Nomadic SCS territory and population into these SCS (late XII - 1380-s)

6. Rise of the Barbarian-Nomadic SCS residual homeland and population. Conflict of various neighbouring SCS-s for its socio-cultural assimilation, with the Barbarian-Nomadic SCS itself marionette participation in the process (late XIV century - middle of the XX century)

7. Establishing the Barbarian-Nomadic SCS residual homeland and population on the borders of Russian and Chinese SCS-s as their external buffer zone (from the second half of the XX century and for some future)

1. Initial sporadic colonization of the homeland territory in the most ancient civilizations and unknown old centres of inhabitance (XXX - VII centuries BC)

2. Initial spatial defining of the Muslim SCS territory and its early acquisition in the form of Empires. Conflict with Western SCS of its second stage for buffer spaces (750-s - 330-s BC)

3. Socio-cultural contest of Muslim SCS. Creating the internal buffer zones on borders with Western SCS. Assimilation of the other socio-cultural systems’ population within the Muslim territories (from 330-s BC until early VII century AD)

4. Islam as the product of the socio-cultural contest; unification of the Muslim territories based on Islam. Beginning of the Muslim controlled spaces growth, and establishing the buffer zones between Muslim SCS and all of its neighbouring SCS-s (Western, Barbarian-Nomadic, Hindu and Black African) (early VII century - 1258)

5. Socio-cultural integration with Barbarian-Nomadic SCS. Further growth of the Muslim controlled spaces into the territories of Black African and Hindu SCS-s. Creating the military-political vassals and buffer zones with all the neighbouring SCS-s (1258 - early XVIII century)

6. Conflict for buffer spaces with various SCS-s. Loss of the military-political vassals and the alien socio-cultural systems’ permanent presence in the Muslim homeland. Diffusion of the Muslim communities outside the Muslim homeland (early XVIII century - 1970-s)

7. Liberation of the Muslim homeland and its internal buffer zones from the alien socio-cultural systems’ permanent presence. Political-geographical transformation of the Muslim SCS space based on its own socio-cultural standards. Conflict with other SCS-s for the external buffer zones (from 1970-s and for some future)

1. Initial period of the Chinese population existence and Chinese SCS creation (from legendary Hsia Dynasty 1800 - 1500 BC to Eastern Chou Dynasty 770 BC)

2. Socio-cultural contest for creating the most efficient socio-cultural standard for Chinese SCS (from 770 to 221 BC - Eastern Chou Dynasty)

3. Unification of the Chinese SCS territory based on the chosen socio-cultural standard. Beginning of the homeland growth and establishing the naturally dependent vassals (221 BC - 317 AD)

4. Creating the internal buffer zone on the North, new naturally dependent vassals on the West and new homeland on the South (317 - 1211 AD)

5. Socio-cultural integration with Barbarian-Nomadic SCS. Creating the internal buffer zones, naturally dependent vassals and homeland growth on the South. Unification of the socio-culturally transformed territories into the united state (from 1211 until 1840-s)

6. Defining the buffer zones’ territories through conflict with various SCS-s. Military, political and economic presence of alien socio-cultural systems in the Chinese homeland. Beginning of the Chinese population intensive diffusion around the World (from 1840-s until the Great Cultural Revolution)

7. Creating the integral internal buffer zone and liberation of the Chinese homeland from the alien socio-cultural systems’ presence. Establishing the Chinese enclave-communities within Western SCS and the mixed socio-cultural regions (as from the end of the Great Cultural Revolution and for some future)

1. Initial period of the Western population existence and Western SCS creation. Initial sporadic colonozation of the homeland territory in the most ancient civilizations (from ancient times until 770 - 750-s BC)

2. Greek-Roman times. Western homeland growth. Rise of the first Empires and Greek-Roman communities outside the homeland. Establishing the buffer zone with Barbarian-Nomadic SCS (770 - 750-s BC - 380-s AD)

3. Socio-cultural integration with Barbarian-Nomadic SCS. Transformation and further expansion of the homeland. Creating internal buffer zones. Defining the new ideological grounds of Western SCS, based on Roman Catholicism (from 380-s AD until the Crusades beginning)

4. Socio-cultural contest of Western SCS. Transformation of the Pyrenees Muslim enclave into internal buffer zone. Creating naturally dependent vassals in the East-European buffer zone. Expansion outside own homeland into the mixed socio-cultural regions (from the Crusades beginning until the discovery of America)

5. Global overseas colonial expansion of Western national states. Growth of the homeland in the mixed socio-cultural regions with Western predominance (1490-s - 1918)

6. Global war against other socio-cultural systems headed by Russian SCS. Losing the control over colonies. Reversion of Western population into own homeland and its redistribution between the mixed socio-cultural regions with Western predominance and traditional Western territories (1918 - 1990-s)

7. Transformation of the European homeland and stimulating further population redistribution between the territories of old homeland and mixed socio-cultural regions with Western predominance. Creating the American and South-Eastern internal and external buffer zones (from 1990-s and for some future)

1. Initial period of the Slavonic world existence, with undeveloped socio-cultural differences (from ancient times until 882 AD)

2. Period of the socio-cultural differences defining in the Slavonic world. Early accumulation of the Russian SCS territory and population as well as establishing the internal and external buffer zones (from 882 until middle - end of the XI century)

3. Socio-cultural contest for creating the most efficient socio-cultural standard for Russian SCS. Socio-cultural integration with barbarian-nomadic SCS (from the end of the XI century until 1572)

4. Creating the united Russian state, with utmost homeland, based on Moscow socio-cultural standard (from 1572 until 1700)

5. Imperial program of the Russian SCS: creating naturally dependent vassals and further homeland growth; expansion into neighbouring SCS-s as resistance to Western SCS pressure onto these SCS-s (from 1700 until 1917)

6. Communist program of the Russian SCS: defining boundaries of own socio-cultural spaces (especially internal and external buffer zones); leading the global war against Western SCS expansion outside its homeland (1917 - 1991)

7. Nationalist program of the Russian SCS: re-structuring own socio-cultural spaces; maintaining balance of socio-cultural powers in the World (from the end of the XX century and for some future)

1. Initial period of the Indian population existence and rise of the ancient Hindu civilizations as a form of sporadic colonization of the territory. Rise of the Hindu SCS religious, cultural and social foundations (2500-s - 327 BC)

2. First contacts with Muslim SCS. Beginning of the homeland growth and establishing the North-Western buffer zone (327 BC - 711 AD)

3. Muslim SCS attacks withstanded. Creating the buffer zone on the joints with Muslim SCS (711 - early XIII century)

4. Muslim SCS intervention and establishing the vassal military-political control over the Northern and Central regions of the Hindu homeland. Further evolution of the Hindu homeland (early XIII century - 1658)

5. Military-political control of the Great Britain and co-operation with it to withstand the Muslim SCS expansion. Adaptation of Western innovations and Hindu population diffusion into other socio-cultural formations as a vassals of British colonists. Creating the internal buffer zones; conflict with Muslim and Chinese SCS-s for the external buffer zones (1658 - 1945)

6. Transition to an indirect forms of co-operation with Western SCS in the struggle against Muslim and Chinese SCS-s. Extreme point of the conflict with Muslim SCS for control over buffer zones. Further developing the internal buffer zones; efforts to transform the external buffer zones into naturally dependent vassals (from 1945 and for some future)

7. Prognostic stage: Retention of the indirect forms of co-operation with Western SCS to withstand the Muslim and Chinese SCS-s expansion. Final stages of creating the internal and external buffer zones. Political-geographical transformation of the Hindu homeland based on its own socio-cultural standards (more distant future)

1. Initial existence of the South-American population and sporadic colonization of the territory in form of the most ancient civilizations (from ancient times until the end of the XV century)

2. Socio-cultural integration with Western and Black African SCS-s. Spatial colonization / assimilation of the territory and creating the renewed basis for South-American SCS (from 1490-s until the 1823 Monroe Doctrine)

3. Establishing the internal buffer zones and re-structuring own territory based on the national states principles. Permanent military-political and economic presence of Western SCS (represented by the USA) (1823 - 1918)

4. Operative involvement of the USA into South-American SCS rising. Introduction of economic, social and military innovations. Further creating the internal buffer zones. Co-operation of South-American and Russian SCS-s in the struggle against permanent presence of the USA (1918 - 1980-s)

5. Liberation of the South-American SCS homeland from military, economic and political presence of all the alien socio-cultural systems. Creating the buffer zone with Western SCS (in the mixed socio-cultural region with Western predominance in North America). Operative conversion of the submitted Western economic and social innovations (from 1980-s and for some future)

6. Prognostic stage: Socio-cultural contest in South-American SCS and its re-structuring in accordance with the own renewed socio-cultural standards (this period may last for a 100 years or more)

7. Prognostic stage: Further intensive development of the South-American SCS territory based on its own socio-cultural standards (quite distant future)

1. Initial period of the Black African population existence on the territory of its homeland, at the stage of clan-tribal organisation (from ancient times until IV century AD)

2. Beginning of the contacts with Muslim SCS, rise of the early States; creating the Northern and Eastern internal buffer zones (IV century - 1490-s)

3. Beginning of the contacts with Western SCS, creating the Western and Southern internal buffer zones. Overseas diffusion of the Black African population and establishing the enclave-communities within alien socio-cultural formations. Participation in the evolution of South-American SCS, on its 2nd stage (1490-s - 1880-s)

4. Spatial seizure of Black African SCS by Western SCS. Introduction of the superficial economic, social and military innovations. Co-operation of Black African and Russian SCS-s in the struggle against Western SCS control over the Black African homeland (1880-s - 1960)

5. Liberation of the Black African SCS homeland from military, economic and political presence of all the alien socio-cultural systems. Operative conversion of the submitted economic and social innovations (from 1960 and for some future)

6. Prognostic stage: Socio-cultural contest in Black African SCS and its re-structuring in accordance with the own renewed socio-cultural standards (this period may last for a 100 years or more)

7. Prognostic stage: Further intensive development of Black African SCS based on its own socio-cultural standards. Establishing connections between the Black African homeland and its overseas enclave-communities (quite distant future)