CRITICAL STATES OF LIVING ENVIRONMENT AND MEANS OF ADAPTATION TO THEM

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Abstract

The paper substantiates the necessity of studies of the living environment’s critical states as a new direction of interdisciplinary research-and-action. The concepts of multi-directed dynamics of modern societies as well as of ‘world risk society’ are the theoretical basis of this new research direction. The research subjects are as follows: forces generating critical states of living environment; disposition, resources and power of them; their values and aims; strategy, tactics and action repertoire of actors involved; degree and forms of social adaptation of affected population; and post-critical states of local communities and their population. A permanent interaction of scientists, scholars and technicians, a dialogue between state and civil society, an ability of interdisciplinary actors to play alternatively the roles of ‘insiders’ and ‘outsiders’ in relation to a particular critical state, and long-term monitoring of its development are the major prerequisites of development of this new research branch.