СОЦИАЛЬНАЯ КОНСОЛИДАЦИЯ

Abstract

This article examines social consolidation as a sociological phenomenon and clarifies its meaning, mechanisms of formation and specific features in the contemporary Uzbek context. Building on Durkheim's theory of solidarity, Tönnies's Gemeinschaft–Gesellschaft distinction and modern concepts of social cohesion and social capital, the article proposes a working definition of social consolidation and distinguishes it from related notions. The empirical basis of the study is a sociological survey of youth aged 18-29 (N = 420), conducted in 2025-2026 in four regions of the Republic of Uzbekistan. The state programmes that frame youth work and the foreign models discussed in the article, are treated as institutional and comparative context rather than as separate empirical procedures. The study documents the value orientations of the surveyed Uzbek youth, the leading role of digital channels in the transmission of spiritual-educational information, and a marked gap – at the level of aggregate distributions – between the high symbolic importance attributed to the mahalla and the comparatively low level of regular participation in its activities. On this basis, the article offers recommendations for adapting youth work to the digital environment and to interactive and volunteer-based formats at the mahalla level.