political elite

The article considers the basic features of the transformation process of the political elite in relation to the region of a transitive, agrarianindustrial type, like Saratov region. The differences between the transformation process and the change of the elite and the so-called "change of elites" are revealed. The characteristics of the structural-institutional, group and generational aspects of the dynamics of elites in the region are given.

The article deals with the peculiarities of the positional approach formation in home sociology of the political elite. The formation factors are being revealed and a characteristic of the main tendencies of the positional approach development in the analysis of the political elite in home sociology

This article explores the idea of national self-determination of South Ossetia in the context of the separation of Ossetian people. The author tries to explore the influence of the situation of ethnic division on the formation of the South Ossetian national idea and the role this situation has played in the process of final implementation of this idea.

The article discusses the features of the study of elite layers in the writings of the sociologist populists. Special attention is drawn to a distinctive direction of populist sociology as a subjective sociology, represented primarily by P. L. Lavrov and N. K. Mikhailovsky. We give a general description of the sociological views of sociologistpopulist trends, the factors that determine the specificity of its formation in the Russian society and the base of «critically thinking individuals» theories P. L. Lavrov and «heroes» N. K.

The paper dwells on studying one of the most important processes defining the quality potential of the modern elite – recruiting elite groups. The political elite recruiting peculiarities defining this process, social factors and mechanisms are revealed. Special attention is paid to the analysis of the basic stages of the political elite recruiting at the regional level: Stage I – “quasi-free convergence” (1991–1993); Stage II – mutational (1994–2000); Stage III – “elite controlled recruiting” (2001–2011); Stage IV – mixed (hybrid) (2012 – present time).