Generations of University Educational Communities: Sociological Interpretation of the Phenomenon

The relevance of the sociological understanding of such a phenomenon as “generations of educational communities in universities” stems from the need to create theoretical foundations for generational research in higher education. The general theory of generations needs to be adapted to the specifics of the generational situation in higher education. The problem discussed in this article has to do with the lack of a sociological interpretation of the generations of the primary subjects of higher education — academic, administrative staff, students — at a conceptual level and as a real social phenomenon. The purpose of the article is to develop theoretical and methodological provisions that reveal the essence of the phenomenon of the generation of the university educational community from a sociological perspective. The article presents methodological approaches towards studying generations that are relevant to higher education. The concept of the “generation of the educational community at the university” is interpreted in the context of the classical theory of K. Mannheim and the theory of social community. The main community-forming features of the generation of the university educational community are revealed. The structure and functions of generations of three university educational communities are considered.