Informal interactions in society: experience of conceptual interpretation
Research Article
How to Cite
Levicheva V.F., Dimans S.L. Informal interactions in society: experience of conceptual interpretation. Science. Culture. Society. 2025. Vol. 31. No. 2. P. 7-21. DOI: https://doi.org/10.19181/nko.2025.31.2.1 (in Russ.).
Abstract
The aim of the article is to propose a conceptual and methodological approach to understanding informal interactions as the ontological foundation of society and a resource for its development. The authors reveal their core essential qualities — recursiveness, temporality, flexibility, variability, and value-ladenness — demonstrating how these drive changes in political, economic, and social practices. The flexibility and adaptability of informal norms ensure the preservation and intergenerational transmission of a spectrum of positive behavioral responses, values, and meanings tied to specific life situations. The recursive “loop” of informality sustains the continuity of social bonds over time. Informal interactions not only complement the institutional environment but, under certain conditions, replace it, shaping new configurations of social reality. They enrich the social landscape, safeguard society against persistent risks, and create behavioral alternatives. It is informality that embodies the “particular” distinguishing one historically formed society from another. However, the proliferation of informal practices beyond a certain “measure” signals the inadequacy or ineffectiveness of a society’s institutional structure and may hinder its development.
Keywords:
informal interactions, institutionality, temporality, recursiveness, risk insurance, social evasion
References
1. Levicheva V. F., Dimans S. L. Informality in Society: Searching for Explorative Methodology. Sociological Studies. 2023;(11):105–114. (In Russ.). DOI 10.31857/S013216250028536-2.
2. Giddens A. The Constitution of Society: An Outline of the Theory of Structuration. Berkeley: University of California Press; 1984.
3. Lefebvre H. La production de l’espace. Moscow: Strelka Press; 2015. (In Russ.).
4. Barsukova S. Yu. On Rules of Ultimate Fights. Book Review: Paneyakh, E. (2008) Rules of the Game for the Russian Entrepreneur, Moscow: Colibry. Journal of Economic Sociology. 2008;9(5):90–97. (In Russ.).
5. Golubitsky Yu. A. A cook must not be bohed in his own soup. Science. Culture. Society. 2021;27(3):69–84. (In Russ.). DOI 10.19181/nko.2021.27.3.7.
6. Schütz A. Selected: The World Glowing with Meaning. Moscow: Politicheskaya entsiklopediya; 2004. (In Russ.).
7. Brose H. G. An Introduction towards a Culture of Non-Simultaneity? Time and Society. 2004;13(1):5–26. DOI 10.1177/0961463X04040740.
8. Berger P., Luckmann Th. The Social Construction of Reality. A Treatise in the Sociology of Knowledge. Moscow: Medium; 1995. (In Russ.).
9. Bourdieu P. Esquisse d’une théorie de la pratique. Paris: Éditions du Seuil; 2000.
10. Plusnin Yu. M. Social structure of provincial society. Moscow: Common Place, “Khamovniki”; 2022. (In Russ.).
11. Weber M. Selected works. Moscow: Progress; 1990. (In Russ.).
12. North D. Institutions, Institutional Change and Economic Performance. Moscow: Nachala; 1997. (In Russ.).
13. Mershon C. A. Expectations and Informal Rules in Coalition Formation. Comparative Political Studies. 1994;27(1):40–79. DOI 10.1177/0010414094027001002.
14. Dimans S. L., Levicheva V. F. People and Norms: Institutions vs Informal Practices. Moscow: Klyuch-S; 2018. (In Russ.).
15. Simoyanov A. V. Social dependents: political tale and scientific reality. Science. Culture. Society. 2022;28(1):66–75. (In Russ.). DOI 10.19181/nko.2022.28.1.6.
2. Giddens A. The Constitution of Society: An Outline of the Theory of Structuration. Berkeley: University of California Press; 1984.
3. Lefebvre H. La production de l’espace. Moscow: Strelka Press; 2015. (In Russ.).
4. Barsukova S. Yu. On Rules of Ultimate Fights. Book Review: Paneyakh, E. (2008) Rules of the Game for the Russian Entrepreneur, Moscow: Colibry. Journal of Economic Sociology. 2008;9(5):90–97. (In Russ.).
5. Golubitsky Yu. A. A cook must not be bohed in his own soup. Science. Culture. Society. 2021;27(3):69–84. (In Russ.). DOI 10.19181/nko.2021.27.3.7.
6. Schütz A. Selected: The World Glowing with Meaning. Moscow: Politicheskaya entsiklopediya; 2004. (In Russ.).
7. Brose H. G. An Introduction towards a Culture of Non-Simultaneity? Time and Society. 2004;13(1):5–26. DOI 10.1177/0961463X04040740.
8. Berger P., Luckmann Th. The Social Construction of Reality. A Treatise in the Sociology of Knowledge. Moscow: Medium; 1995. (In Russ.).
9. Bourdieu P. Esquisse d’une théorie de la pratique. Paris: Éditions du Seuil; 2000.
10. Plusnin Yu. M. Social structure of provincial society. Moscow: Common Place, “Khamovniki”; 2022. (In Russ.).
11. Weber M. Selected works. Moscow: Progress; 1990. (In Russ.).
12. North D. Institutions, Institutional Change and Economic Performance. Moscow: Nachala; 1997. (In Russ.).
13. Mershon C. A. Expectations and Informal Rules in Coalition Formation. Comparative Political Studies. 1994;27(1):40–79. DOI 10.1177/0010414094027001002.
14. Dimans S. L., Levicheva V. F. People and Norms: Institutions vs Informal Practices. Moscow: Klyuch-S; 2018. (In Russ.).
15. Simoyanov A. V. Social dependents: political tale and scientific reality. Science. Culture. Society. 2022;28(1):66–75. (In Russ.). DOI 10.19181/nko.2022.28.1.6.
Article
Received: 08.04.2025
Accepted: 30.06.2025
Citation Formats
Other cite formats:
APA
Levicheva, V. F., & Dimans, S. L. (2025). Informal interactions in society: experience of conceptual interpretation. Science. Culture. Society, 31(2), 7-21. https://doi.org/10.19181/nko.2025.31.2.1
Section
Social and cultural processes in the focus of sociological theory
1.jpg)
