Pozdnyakova M.E., Bryuno V.V. The Social Field of Occult-Esoteric Services and Practices in Contemporary Russia: Institutionalization and Deviantogenic Potential ...

Текст ИНАБа.

Abstract

The Information-Analytical Bulletin is devoted to the study of occult-esoteric services and practices in contemporary Russia as a specific social field with both adaptive and deviantogenic potential. The publication presents the results of a study conducted by the Sector for the Sociology of Deviant Behavior, Institute of Sociology, Federal Center of Theoretical and Applied Sociology of the Russian Academy of Sciences (IS FCTAS RAS). The empirical base includes a content analysis of digital platforms (mass media, social networks, and video platforms), interviews with service providers (astrologers, tarot readers, coaches, magicians, etc.), and a survey of the urban population (N = 1300). The first part describes the institutionalization and market structure of the occult-esoteric field, as well as features of its legal regulation and related social risks. The second part presents a portrait of service providers — their professional trajectories, motivations, and strategies of legitimation. The third part focuses on clients and their coping strategies. The study demonstrates the dual nature of this field: while performing adaptive social functions, it simultaneously generates risks of financial exploitation and the consolidation of deviant behavioral models. The results can be used in analyzing new forms of deviant behavior, sociocultural risks in the digital environment, and in developing preventive measures for social policy.

Content (in russ)