Sociocultural Obstacles and Facilitators of Integration: A framework Based on the Theory of Social Fields

Abstract

The article reveals the role of sociocultural barriers and drivers of integration processes in the Eurasian space (primarily within the framework of the EAEU) based on P. Bourdieu's theory. The author demonstrates that a formal approach to Eurasian integration at the level of economy and politics collides with a “capillary network” of invisible mental boundaries – a misalignment between the institutional level of the Union and the microsociological reality of its citizens. To overcome economic determinism, a theoretical framework is proposed, grounded in the interrelation of the concepts of field, habitus, and capital. The Eurasian space is conceptualized not as a homogeneous entity, but as a set of autonomous fields (educational, media-related, scientific), where the success of integration depends on the convertibility of capitals. Particular attention is paid to the devaluation of Russian cultural and symbolic capital under the pressure of global competitors (the English language, Turkish mass culture, Chinese infrastructural capital). Through the lens of the category of habitus, an intergenerational conflict is examined: the inertial “Soviet survival habitus” of the older generation clashes with the “market-oriented mobility habitus” of youth focused on global digital standards. Using memory politics as an example, the struggle for monopoly over narratives is analyzed as a means of seizing a dominant position in the regional field of meaning. The proposed model allows for the operationalization of intangible factors (“barriers”, “recognition”) and will serve as a foundation for subsequent empirical analysis across individual fields and the identification of integration potential.