Youth and youth organizations in the pre-perestroika period (1970–1980s): positions of subjectivity

The article operationalizes the concepts of “subjectivity” and “social status” and shows the differentiation of the youth group. The author analyzes the manifestations of the subjectivity of students in various fields: education (secondary vocational and higher education) and youth organizations of various orientations; the forms of participation and non-participation of the state in the formation of subjectivity, and the consequences of the latter fact. The article also shows changes in the prestige of higher and secondary education based on research by Russian sociologists. The educational status of young people in the 1970s has also undergone changes. The article provides motivation for young people to join pro-social, asocial, and antisocial youth organizations. When analyzing the youth of this period, it is important to consider the aspirations, interests, and orientations of this group, as well as the existing youth organizations, both formal and informal, and self-organized groups and youth movements. It is also important to examine how these organizations met the needs of the state.

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