SOCIAL TYPOLOGY OF MARGINALITY: INDIVIDUAL,GROUP AND COLLECTIVE SOCIETIES

PRINCIPAL ISSUES OF SCIENTIFIC RESEARCH AND MODERN EDUCATION Vol. 4 No.7 (2025) 14 SOCIAL TYPOLOGY OF MARGINALITY: INDIVIDUAL,GROUP AND COLLECTIVE SOCIETIES Zaripova Hulkar Tokhir qizi PhD Candidate Department of Philosophy Faculty of Social Sciences National University of Uzbekistan named after Mirzo Ulugbek (Tashkent, Uzbekistan) E-mail: [email protected] Annotation:This article reveals the unique characteristics and development factors of the phenomenon of marginality in socio-cultural processes from a philosophical and cultural perspective. It also discusses how marginalization undergoes transformation under the influence of cultural and social processes and intercultural exchange, manifesting as a distinctive aspect of the sociophilosophical worldview through shaping moral perspectives as well as social and religious consciousness. The article addresses the social and cultural essence of ideas related to the phenomenon of marginalization as a factor in preserving universal human values and enhancing the philosophical and cultural thinking of the individual. Keywords: Society, culture, individual, transformation, values, discrimination, group, alienation. In scientific literature, we encounter concepts such as marginality, marginalism, and marginalization. Each of these terms reflects different aspects of the development of social directions. Marginality can be described as a unique, profoundly deep internal experience shaped by the social environment. The origin of the scientific idea about the essence of marginality is associated with the views of the American sociologist Robert Park, a representative of the PRINCIPAL ISSUES OF SCIENTIFIC RESEARCH AND MODERN EDUCATION Vol. 4 No.7 (2025) 15 Chicago School. In 1928, he introduced the concept of “marginal person.” Specifically, he brought the term “marginal person” into scientific discourse as a scholarly term. This concept was used to describe the cultural status and selfawareness of immigrants who needed to adapt to a new way of life unfamiliar to them. “In his research, he explained the identity crisis of a person living in an intercultural environment: such a person leaves one culture but cannot fully join another, remaining in an intermediate state”[1]. His scientific work primarily focused on the phenomenon of marginality arising from migration processes. He studied racial relations and the characteristics of tribal environments. His concept was outlined in his work “Introduction to Sociology.” According to this work, social evolution passes through four stages: first, ecological or physical interconnection, the spatial stage; second, economic; third, political; and finally, fourth, cultural. In our opinion, R. Park’s methodological stance served as a principle for studying migration processes in America. The social typology of marginality primarily refers to situations of social exclusion, separation from the main social systems, and possession of a secondary social status within society. These conditions can be analyzed at the levels of the individual, social groups, and composite societies. Specifically, at the individual level (personal marginality), a person becomes alienated from or cannot identify with the main values, norms, and systems of society. This state is often accompanied by psychological distress, identity crises, or adaptation difficulties. According to Z. Bauman, “Individual-level marginality is the condition in which a person loses or cannot find their place within the social system, and cannot identify with the main norms of society” [2]. This phenomenon frequently arises against the backdrop of migration, urbanization, cultural transformations, or crises of norms and values in society. Analyzing the matter, in today’s rapidly changing era, social consciousness, national identity, cultural selfhood, and many other social concepts are being reinterpreted. In this process, certain groups or individuals may feel themselves as “marginalized,” “unadapted,” or “alienated.” PRINCIPAL ISSUES OF SCIENTIFIC RESEARCH AND MODERN EDUCATION Vol. 4 No.7 (2025) 16 From this perspective, the philosophical analysis of the phenomenon of marginality enables an understanding not only of the inner world of the individual but also of the mechanisms of social change. Therefore, studying the marginalization of peoples and examining its impact on cultural and social processes is of vital importance for fostering national identity among peoples and protecting the philosophical and cultural aspects of marginality. In developed countries around the world, extensive research is being conducted on the social and cultural impacts of marginalization. Renowned international organizations, universities, and research centers study the modern forms of marginalization through philosophical and cultural analysis, as well as the history and various concepts of marginality. Notable foreign scholars such as A.V. Gordon, Y.A. Shreider, A. Camus, Z. Canetti, K.M. Kantor, K.M. Larner, M. Lotman, Y.M. Markaryan, E.S. Tabolina, J.L. Watson, G. Gordon, E.H. Mizruchi, and others have conducted numerous scientific studies on the causes of marginality and its manifestations across different fields. In Eastern thought, the works of thinkers such as Al-Ghazali, Ibn Khaldun, Confucius, Jalaluddin Rumi, and others reveal characteristics specific to the marginality of their times. At the individual level, marginality primarily manifests as an internal crisis of identity. A person is unable to identify themselves with the dominant values, roles, and norms of society. Such individuals often ask themselves questions like: “Who am I? Where do I belong? What is my role in society?” From a philosophical standpoint, this condition represents a form of existential alienation, interpreted by philosophers such as S. Kierkegaard, J.-P. Sartre, and E. Fromm as the loss of one’s essence under the pressure of society. This level of marginality arises when social systems (such as education, employment, or family norms) fail to integrate the individual. As a result, not only social but also ontological risks emerge - that is, the person loses a sense of the meaning of their existence. PRINCIPAL ISSUES OF SCIENTIFIC RESEARCH AND MODERN EDUCATION Vol. 4 No.7 (2025) 17 Therefore, the following characteristics can be highlighted for this type of marginality: • The individual feels like a “stranger” within society; • Cannot find a clear answer to the question “Who am I?”; • Withdrawal from social interactions, loneliness, and social isolation; • These individuals are often caught between two cultures (e.g., children of migrants). As an example of individual-level marginality (also referred to as personal marginality), we may consider a child of migrants who grows up between two cultures - for instance, a person born in a different country from their ethnic origin. Similarly, rural youth who move to urban areas but struggle to adapt to the new environment, or individuals ostracized due to their sexual orientation, can also be considered marginal persons in this context. In particular, when individuals are separated from their social group or trapped between multiple groups, they may experience psychological stress, identity crises, and social isolation. This form of marginality was first described by the English scholar Robert Park through his concept of the “marginal man.” According to him, a marginal individual belongs to two cultures but is not fully accepted by either. Such individuals often face a crisis in forming personal identity and experience difficulties in adapting to society. In this context, “inner contradictions, conflict, and anxiety within the psyche of the marginal person play a significant role” [3]. In Western philosophy, the concept of marginality is often associated with a crisis of individual identity, that is, the internal conflict and uncertainty that arise in a person’s self-understanding and their role within society. This issue has been widely discussed in the 20th century, particularly within several philosophical movements such as existentialism, postmodernism, and social theory. In particular, British philosopher Stuart Hall interpreted the notion of cultural identity as a dynamic and ever-evolving process shaped by socio-cultural forces. PRINCIPAL ISSUES OF SCIENTIFIC RESEARCH AND MODERN EDUCATION Vol. 4 No.7 (2025) 18 He also connected marginality to the crisis of cultural identity that emerged in postcolonial societies. Moreover, Hall analyzed marginality through the lens of the “position of the subject at the periphery”, which creates a constant crisis in personal identity and necessitates its continual reconstruction. According to him, marginality is the condition in which an individual feels disconnected from society or experiences a loss of identity between multiple cultures. This is a direct manifestation of an individual identity crisis, wherein the person is constantly seeking an answer to the question: “Who am I?”. This approach is grounded in post-structuralist theory, which asserts that identity is not fixed, but rather constructed through discourses linked to language, history, and power. When an individual becomes marginalized, they are compelled to “reinvent” their identity continuously, resulting in a state of ontological uncertainty. Accordingly, the French philosopher Julia Kristeva viewed marginality through the concept of “strangeness”, interpreting it as a conflict between internal and external identity. She analyzed the state of being a stranger from both psychological and philosophical perspectives, arguing that an individual experiences a crisis of identity when confronted with their “inner foreignness”.[4] According to Kristeva, every human being carries a “stranger within”-a part that is detached from the self, yet not entirely alien. Through her concept of the “stranger within,” she connected marginality to an inner psychological state. In her view, the “other self” that exists in human consciousness-one that does not conform to social norms and remains incomprehensible-is the source of this internal strangeness. As a person struggles against this strangeness, their identity begins to fragment. Thus, marginality involves confronting one’s internal foreignness, leading to a state where a person can no longer fully comprehend themselves. Through this process, a crisis of identity emerges.From our perspective, marginality in this context is presented not only as a social phenomenon but also as an intrapersonal one, that is, a form of internal PRINCIPAL ISSUES OF SCIENTIFIC RESEARCH AND MODERN EDUCATION Vol. 4 No.7 (2025) 19 psychological conflict. This approach allows us to study marginality in relation to ontological and existential crises. In our analysis, the scientific approach proposed by the American scholar E.Stonequist plays a significant role in describing individual marginality. In particular, when characterizing the internal world of the marginal individual, he identifies the following indicators: disorder, confusion, inability to determine the source of conflict, feelings of failure, anxiety, and isolation. This is followed by a period of despair, which ultimately leads to a sense of meaninglessness of existence. According to him, “the process of adapting a person to culturally new forms may stimulate development and the formation of a personality with new traits”[5]. Thus, it can be stated that the study of individual marginality initially focused on its creative potential. However, research has not followed the path of exploring the functional characteristics of individual marginality, but rather emphasized describing the features of marginal personalities and identifying the reasons behind the emergence of such individuals.Indeed, migration is one of the main causes of individual marginality. Migrants, upon relocating to a new cultural environment, often encounter conflict between their national values and the norms of the host society. This is especially evident in the second generation-the children of migrants.“A systematic philosophical analysis of this process expands the scope of socio-philosophical knowledge, contributes to the development of new forms of intercultural dialogue, and helps define universal vectors for the growth of human civilization” [6].Moreover, the phenomenological method proposed by O.D. Agapov is particularly important as it “reveals the central significance of subjective experience in migration processes”[7]. Migrants reorganize their existence by reinterpreting themselves within the new environment. Their movement is not merely physical relocation but rather a “spiritual transformation”, involving life in contradiction with new moral standards and cultural expressions within the new social setting. PRINCIPAL ISSUES OF SCIENTIFIC RESEARCH AND MODERN EDUCATION Vol. 4 No.7 (2025) 20 In this sense, migrants are not merely economic agents, but emerge as “carriers of social consciousness.” REFERENCE 1. Мельникова Н.Е. Феномен маргинальности в системе культуры: социально-философский анализ: Дисс. канд. филос. наук. – M.: 2007. – C.5. 2. Bauman Z. Community: Seeking Safety in an Insecure World. – Polity Press, 2001. – P. 67-90. 3. Дмитрова И.И. Этнокулътурная маргиналъностъ в современном мире (Теоретико-методологический анализ): Дисс. канд. филос. наук. – M.: 1999. – C. 31. 4. Kristeva Julia. Strangers to Ourselves. – Columbia University Press, 1999. – P. 30. 5. Стоунквист Э. В. Маргинальный человек. Исследование личности и культурного конфликта. – M.: 1999. – С. 90-112. 6. F.Xasanov. Madaniyat va migratsiya. – Buxoro: Ilm Ziyo, 2022. – B. 89-92. 7. Агапов О.Д. Феноменология: от анализа сознания к анализу социального бытия // Вестник Чувашского государственного университета. – M.: 2009. – № 1. – С. 103-112.