CULTURAL DIMENSIONS OF CIVIL SOCIETY FORMATION IN CENTRAL EUROPE AND UKRAINE

Abstract

The article is devoted to a comprehensive reflection on the cultural foundations of the formation of civil society as a complex social and sociocultural phenomenon shaped through the interaction of historical, value-based, moral, and institutional factors. The focus is placed on the analysis of the processes underlying the formation and evolution of the Central European model of civil society, its socio-philosophical foundations, as well as the historical conditions that have determined the specificity of its development. Key stages in the formation of civic practices in Central European countries are examined, particularly in the context of transformations of modern and postmodern sociality, the experience of a totalitarian past, and subsequent democratic transformations.

The author analyzes the leading theoretical approaches to the interpretation of civil society, ranging from classical philosophical concepts to contemporary interdisciplinary interpretations, emphasizing its conceptual multidimensionality, normative potential, and moral-practical significance. Special attention is paid to the role of culture as an integrative factor that ensures the reproduction of civic values and contributes to the formation of social trust, solidarity, and responsibility.

A special place in the study is devoted to the Ukrainian context, in particular to the analysis of the specificity of the Ukrainian lifeworld, its historical traumatic experience, symbolic structures, and value orientations that influence the processes of civil society formation. It is emphasized that Ukraine’s integration into the broader Central European and European sociocultural space requires not only institutional changes but also a profound rethinking of the cultural and moral foundations of civic interaction. The article substantiates the thesis that the study of the cultural dimensions of civil society constitutes an important direction of contemporary socio-philosophical and humanitarian research, capable of contributing to a deeper understanding of the paths of democratic development of Ukraine and the countries of Central Europe.

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