Review article

A Plan for Researching Solidarity in Croatia

Gordan Črpić ; Catholic Faculty of Theology, University of Zagreb, Zagreb, Croatia
Melanija Strika ; Croatian Academy of Engineering, Zagreb, Croatia

Abstract

The concept of solidarity takes up one of the most important places not only in theoretical reflection, but also in practical political actions. In the history of sociology, all classical sociologists, more or less, delved systematically into the theme of solidarity. This article shall attempt to give plan for a possible measurement of solidarity in society. Valuing Merton's imperative that sociology must encompass an empirical »accessible« reality, and relying on theories of middle range, this article attempts to formulate an approach for empirically measuring solidarity in Croatia. The social context is globally and locally depicted within which we attempt to conceptualise a measurement of solidarity. In postmodernist societies the abandonment of great stories brings into question social solidarity as defined by modernism. Small stories explain local events and are always situational, ad hoc, temporary, without pretensions to universalism, truth, reason and stability. In Croatian, on the other hand, the consequences of a totalitarian regime reveals itself through an adopted system of values, actually, dominant values of Croatian society, which Županov described by postulating the concept of an »egalitarian syndrome«. Solidarity emerging from this context always remains mechanical and concentrated on a specific group, never passing on to the societal level. Empirical research suggests evidence of insufficient trust in society, at the citizen to citizen level, so too at the institutional level. Solidarity is a complex concept which is difficult to operate and measure. The possibility of measurement presumes that we have accepted certain concepts concerning man. Therefore the anthropological dimension of man is the foundation used in defining the span of solidarity. Taken into consideration are also the institutional dimension and the societal span of these phenomena, and therefore approaching a definition for solidarity postulated by Zulehner and his colleagues who regard solidarity in at the micro, mezzo and macro levels. Durkheim's distinction of mechanical and organic solidarity is also taken into account. This article defines solidarity as a complex social phenomenon that includes man's anthropological imposition and his social character. In the scheme of models for measuring solidarity, other than the mentioned micro, mezzo and macro level of solidarity; measuring needs to include the level of development in a civil society and other indicators such as trust, voluntariness, the culture of spending leisure-time and social optimism. An important factor requiring measurement is religiosity, especially the operating principles of the social teachings of the Church. The socio-economic status should also be measured taking into account socio-demographic variables. Some hypotheses for testing the measuring of solidarity are suggested.
In so much as solidarity should be measured and the suggested hypotheses tested, we would obtain a reasonably clear picture of the condition of solidarity in society and the required campaigns to be instigated so as to develop social solidarity in the desired direction. Alternatively, that it not develop in a void manner, making society and man in it nonsensical. A model is promoted which would create favourable conditions at the institutional level within which could, at the individual level, develop that which already exists in man: functional solidarity, in other words, a solidarity that will be functional in contemporary Croatian society synergistically working to increase the level of social capital, or increasing the internal developmental capacity of contemporary Croatian society.

Keywords

solidarity; knowledge; egalitarian syndrome; measuring solidarity; micro-mezzo-macro levels of solidarity

Hrčak ID:

25624

URI

https://hrcak.srce.hr/25624

Publication date:

3.8.2004.

Article data in other languages: croatian

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