Космос как фронтир социологии

Социологический журнал. 2018. Т. 24. № 2. С. 8–27.

Nim E.

The article is dedicated to the significance and prospects of development of a new research field — astrosociology. Space studies have traditionally been the preserve of science and technology, whereas social and cultural aspects of space exploration have hardly been looked into. How can the space problematics enter the field of social science? What do sociologists have to say about human society that travels to outer space, survives in space, imagines space? These questions bring to the fore bilateral connections between mankind and space, namely the ways space affects social life and vice versa. The author identifies and characterizes three modes of astrosociological research: astrosocial studies, studies of astroculture, and studies of astropolitics. In the first case, space is regarded as an extra-social factor, in the second, as a social and cultural construct, and in the third, more specifically, as a matter of public opinion. However, the boundaries of these three research spheres are permeable, and taken together these areas of study form a multi-dimensional and as yet invisible interdisciplinary field. The present article aims at conceptualizing this field and raising social scientists’ awareness of its potential for further research.

Keywords: космос, public opinion, outer space, общественное мнение, Russian cosmism, astrosociology, astroculture, space policy, астросоциология, астрокультура, космическая политика, русский космизм