Scientific seminar on the study of mass consciousness

One of the main tasks of the seminar was an attempt to study and legitimize the concept of "mass consciousness" in the special ideological conditions of the mid 80s of the last century in the USSR, when class consciousness was the main nomenclature of the then official science. Understanding the danger of discussing the problematic category of "mass consciousness" at the place of his main work at the Institute of Philosophy of the USSR Academy of Sciences, where such research could cause ambiguous reaction and even political persecution, Grushin decides to expand this discussion at the Faculty of Journalism of Moscow State University, where ideological censorship was at that time not so strong. It should be noted here that Grushin was interested in the problems of mass consciousness for most of his scientific life. The theory of mass consciousness was developed by him in his early work, Opinions about the World and the World of Opinions (1967), then in various articles, including The Logical Principles of the Study of Mass Consciousness (Voprosy Philosophy, 1970, 7-8) and in the book Mass information in the Soviet industrial city "(1980), and, finally, in the final monograph" Mass Consciousness ", published in 1987, the seminar, which he conducted at the Faculty of Journalism of Moscow State University in the eighties of the last century, became an important testing ground for his ideas on this major social phenomenon. Despite the importance of this seminar both for understanding the scientific evolution of Grushin himself and for understanding the development of his scientific school, information about this scientific circle is extremely scarce and fragmentary.

The long-term work of the seminar helped to determine that the mass consciousness is a type of social consciousness, singled out in the latter, along with human and group consciousness and associated with the activities of a special kind of social communities - the masses. In terms of its internal composition and structure, mass consciousness is a complex formation, it is characterized by rupture, porosity, inconsistency, the ability for quick unexpected changes in one relationship and a certain ossification (including with the formation of the so-called stereotypes of consciousness), etc. in relation to mass consciousness - a wide range of ideas, ideas, illusions, feelings, moods, reflecting all aspects of society’s life, which are in principle accessible to the masses and capable of their interest. Mass consciousness arises and is formed primarily in the process of massisation of various ways of human activity (in the sphere of production, consumption, communication, politics, and leisure), giving rise to the same or similar aspirations, interests, needs, skills, evaluations. On the other hand, the action of these immediate conditions and forms of being is consolidated and gets its further development in the production and distribution of relevant types of mass culture, primarily related to the functioning of the media and propaganda. With their help, the specified interests, needs, aspirations of the masses are shaped in a series of the same images of reality and patterns of behavior.

Among the main states of mass consciousness can be distinguished:

a set of ideas, knowledge about reality, manifested, in particular, in the form of the so-called cognitive potential (awareness measures) of the masses;

a set of assessments of reality, coinciding with public opinion;

a set of value orientations, attitudes and normative ideas, marking the measure of the readiness of the masses to act in one way or another;

a set of emotional experiences that finds expression in the existence of a public mood at every moment in the life of a society, etc.

Being a spiritual product of objective processes, a special kind of social practice, mass consciousness has the most active influence on many aspects of the life of modern society, acting as a regulator of specific-mass forms of human behavior. This role is constantly increasing with the increasing role of the masses in the economic, political, cultural life of individual countries and the world as a whole.

Abaev KA. Proof and argumentation in letters-responses to the article by L. Zhukovitsky “Anatomy of bend. Thesis. Moscow State University, Faculty of Journalism. 1987

Bachishin VM Some properties of the texts of the mass consciousness (for example, the analysis of the texts of school essays). Thesis. Moscow State University, Faculty of Journalism. 1986

D. Varlamov. On the activity approach to the analysis of the needs of the masses. Thesis. Moscow State University, Faculty of Journalism. 1987

Gulyaeva Ye. A. A literary anecdote as a form of cultural exploration by the mass consciousness. Thesis. Moscow State University, Faculty of Journalism. 1988

Dudkevich, E. A. Some Features of Modern Religious Texts and the Tasks of Anti-Religious Propaganda. Thesis. Moscow State University, Faculty of Journalism. 1986

Zaitseva EI. Some characteristics of the mass consciousness through the prism of the Soviet mass song. Thesis. Moscow State University, Faculty of Journalism. 1985.

Loktishova S.G. The path of nonsense through random nonsense to the absurd. Thesis. Moscow State University, Faculty of Journalism. 1988

Mealha DV International information in the daily Portuguese press. Thesis. Moscow State University, Faculty of Journalism. 1986

Orlov A. A. Riddles as a form of existence of mass consciousness. Thesis. Moscow State University, Faculty of Journalism. 1986

P. Razin. Experience of micrological analysis of texts of mass consciousness. Thesis. Moscow State University, Faculty of Journalism. 1986

Samsueva, T. A. Problems of studying the media audience (the experience of morphological analysis of texts). Thesis. Moscow State University, Faculty of Journalism. 1986

Serra J. International information in the daily Portuguese press. Thesis. Moscow State University, Faculty of Journalism. 1986

Sibirtsev S. I. Egalitarian Consciousness: an Experience of Definition and Research. Thesis. Moscow State University, Faculty of Journalism. 1989.

Sokolova S. A. Logical and Psychological Properties of Mass Consciousness (based on the analysis of mid-level structures and macrostructures of response letters to the publication of the Komsomolskaya Pravda newspaper "How to find each other." Graduation work. Moscow State University, Faculty of Journalism. 1987.

Chernavin KG The image of the nation on the international page of the newspaper "Soviet Russia" (experience in analyzing content). Thesis. Moscow State University, Faculty of Journalism. 1985.

Chudinov R.V. Irrational elements in the texts of mass consciousness. Thesis. Moscow State University, Faculty of Journalism. 1987

Shokalskaya E. A. About some features of the expression of public opinion, speaking about artistic creativity (for example, the attitude of the public to the works of the People's Artist Ilya Sergeyevich Glazunov). Thesis. Moscow State University, Faculty of Journalism. 1985.

Khrul V.M. Modern folklore as a form of the existence of mass consciousness (on the problem of studying the media audience). Thesis. Moscow State University, Faculty of Journalism. 1986

The discussion of ideas and directions of the seminar in recent years was continued by BA students. Grushina, working at the Department of Sociology, Faculty of Journalism, Moscow State University, V.M. Khrulem and P.V. Razin. They are the organizers of the so-called. "Grushinsky readings on Mokhovaya", or the project "Discovering Grushin." The idea of ​​the project was first discussed at Moscow State University in the summer of 2009, in the year of the 80th anniversary of the birth of Boris Andreevich Grushin. The project was conceived not only as a tribute to the teacher, but also as a permanent platform for updating Grushin's ideas, discussing the modern vision of his concepts and their empirical evaluation in research practice of the beginning of the 21st century - that is, as a versatile continuation of the professional talk about the heritage of an outstanding philosopher and sociologist. The event was organized by the Department of Sociology of Journalism with the support of the leadership of the Faculty of Journalism of Moscow State University. Lomonosov.

• Abankina T.
• Abaev K.A.
• Bachishin Vladimir Mikhailovich
• Brednikov Konstantin
• Varlamov Dmitry
• Verkhovskaya Alla Issakovna
• Gabalov Nikolay Pavlovich
• Grigoryants S.
• Dyachenko Alexander Leonidovich
• Kaloshin Igor
• Klitschko Tatiana Lvovna
• Kostenko Boris Igorevich
• Moctovshchikova (Dudkevich) Elena Alexandrovna
• Mealha domingos vamozáluta
• Razin Pavel Vladimirovich
• Orlov Andrey Alexandrovich
• Serra jose
• Sinitsin Igor
• Strokovsky Vladimir
• Fomicheva Irina Dmitrievna
• Khrul Viktor Mikhailovich
• Chernavin Konstantin Gennadievich
• Chudinov Roman
• Shokalskaya Catherine

• The path to Europe. Edited by I.M. Klyamkina and L.F. Shevtsova M .: New Publishing, 2008. - 400 p. Pp. 209.
• Discovering Grushin / Ed.-sost. M.E. Anikin, V.M. Chrul. Moscow State University Publishing House Moscow, 2010, ISBN 978-5-211-05890-3 , 560 p. P. 212.
• A brief dictionary of sociology. Politizdat. Moscow 1988. pp. 151-152.

• Vladimir Bachishin. Boris Grushin connects me with Russia. [one]
• Boris Grushin. Quotes from life. [2]
• Grushinskaya reading on Mokhovaya (2010) [3]