UDC: 140
https://doi.org/10.25198/2077-7175-2025-5-76


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TOPOLOGY OF THE SOUL AND CHILDHOOD: A PHENOMENOLOGICAL AND SOCIO-TOPOLOGICAL RESEARCH METHODOLOGY

S. A. Azarenko
Ural Federal University named after the First President of Russia B.N. Yeltsin, Yekaterinburg, Russia
e-mail: sergey_azarenko@mail.ru

Abstract. This paper attempts to integrate methods from philosophy, phenomenology, social topology, and cultural analysis for a multifaceted study of childhood and personality development. This interdisciplinary synthesis contributes to the creation of a holistic research model. Particular attention is paid to a critical analysis of the theories of leading thinkers (Agamben, Heidegger, Marion, and Henri). A comparison of Agamben’s and Heidegger’s positions reveals the innovative nature of Agamben’s ontological understanding of childhood. The developed socio-topological method offers fundamentally new perspectives for the study of childhood experience. A focus on bodily practices, spatio-temporal coordinates, and communicative processes reveals previously overlooked aspects of personal development. The use of autobiographical material (descriptions of significant childhood loci-mezzanines, bathroom spaces) serves as an effective tool for visualizing theoretical propositions, demonstrating their practical significance. Of particular value is the cultural analysis, which explores the specific features of the Russian perception of childhood through the categories of corporeality and social interactions. Literary reminiscences (works by Tolstoy, Gorky, and Dostoevsky) serve as informative illustrations of cultural and historical variations in the conceptualization of childhood.

Key words: childhood, phenomenology, socio-topological approach, «individuals» ↔ «homes» ↔ «institutional practices» ↔ «cities» ↔ «states» ↔ «country», social body.

Acknowledgments. This work was supported by grant No. 24-28-00189 from the Russian Science Foundation, «Bodily Practices of Everyday Life: Bread, Wine, and Deviations in the Border States of Modern Cultures».

Cite as: Azarenko, S. A. (2025) [Topology of the Soul and Childhood: A Phenomenological and Socio-Topological Research Methodology]. Intellekt. Innovacii. Investicii [Intellect. Innovations. Investments]. Vol. 5, pp. 76–86. – https://doi.org/10.25198/2077-7175-2025-5-76.


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