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Dirt: Symbolic and Practical Dimensions of Social Problems in St Petersburg

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  • Jussi Simpura
  • Galina Eremitcheva

Abstract

Our article deals with the representation of social problems by ordinary families in St Petersburg. We try to answer two questions: How are statements about social problems constructed? What are the citizens of St Petersburg referring to when they talk about social problems? Our material consists of loosely structured thematic interviews with 42 families in St Petersburg in 1993. The interviews were part of a joint Finnish‐Russian study on living conditions, survival strategies, social problems and social networks in Russia. The title of our paper comes from the somewhat surprising observation that dirt and disorder in everyday life were the most frequently mentioned social problems. These and other statements made about social problems in present‐day Russia are taken as examples of social constructs and it is argued that these privately produced claims should be conceived as part of the public claims‐making process within the constructionist tradition. Instead of the traditional four‐field (private/public intersecting with the symbolic/practical) scheme, however, we suggest a more complex ‘hexagon’ scheme, in order to emphasize that the speaker as a subject employs multiple identities (various conceptions of ‘me’ and ‘us’) simultaneously. The hexagon model enables us to analyse the scattered references to dirt in a unifying framework of concepts. In answer to the question of why dirt is perceived to be such an important social problem for the citizens of St Petersburg it is concluded that dirt (like other identified social problems) is a multi‐dimensional phenomenon that refers on a practical and symbolic level to a variety of larger concerns. Notre article concerne la représentation des problèmes sociaux par les familles ordinaires de Saint Pétersbourg. Nous essayons de répondre à deux questions: Comment sont construites les formulations des problèmes sociaux? De quoi parlent les citoyens de Saint Pétesbourg quand ils parlent de problèmes sociaux? Notre matériel se compose des interviews thématiques à structure flexible de 42 familles de Saint Pétersbourg faites en 1993. Ces interviews faisaient partie d'une étude conjointe finlandaise et russe sur les conditions de vie, les stratagèmes de survie, les problèmes et les réseaux sociaux en Russie. Le titre de notre article provient de l'observation quelque peu surprenante que la saleté et le désordre dans la vie de tous les jours sont les problèmes sociaux les plus couramment cités. Ces formulations des problèmes sociaux dans la Russie actuelle sont prises comme exemples de constructions sociales, et nous soutenons que ces demandes produites en privé doivent être con¸ues comme faisant partie des demandes publiques dans la tradition constructiviste. A la place du modèle traditionnel à quatre champs (le public/privé recoupant le symbolique/pratique), nous suggérons un modèle ‘hexagone’ plus complexe afin de souligner que la personne qui parle, en tant que sujet, utilise simultanément des identités multiples (plusieurs concepts de ‘moi’ et ‘nous’). Le modèle ‘hexagone’ nous permet d'analyser les allusions à la saleté, bien que dispersées, dans une structure de concepts unifiée. En réponse à la question de savoir pourquoi la saleté est per¸ue comme un problème social d'une telle importance par les citoyens de Saint Pétersbourg, nous concluons est que la saleté (comme les autres problèmes sociaux identifiés) est un phénomène à plusieurs dimensions qui se rapporte à une variété de problèmes plus généraux au niveau pratique et symbolique.

Suggested Citation

  • Jussi Simpura & Galina Eremitcheva, 1997. "Dirt: Symbolic and Practical Dimensions of Social Problems in St Petersburg," International Journal of Urban and Regional Research, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 21(3), pages 467-479, September.
  • Handle: RePEc:bla:ijurrs:v:21:y:1997:i:3:p:467-479
    DOI: 10.1111/1468-2427.00091
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    1. R Tomlinson, 1999. "From Exclusion to Inclusion: Rethinking Johannesburg's Central City," Environment and Planning A, , vol. 31(9), pages 1655-1678, September.
    2. repec:sae:envval:v:13:y:2004:i:2:p:167-186 is not listed on IDEAS

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