SOCIAL TOPOCHRONOS AS A MECHANISM FOR ORGANIZING SOCIAL LIFE: THE MAHALLA INSTITUTION IN NEW UZBEKISTAN

Abstract The organization of social life is inseparable from the spatial and temporal conditions in which individuals and communities interact, develop social relations, reproduce cultural values, and respond to collective problems. From a social-philosophical perspective, space cannot be regarded merely as a physical territory, while time cannot be reduced to a chronological sequence of events. Socially meaningful space and time constitute an integrated environment in which patterns of interaction, social practices, collective identities, and mechanisms of social organization are formed. This article examines the concept of social topochronos as a category for analysing the spatial and temporal organization of social life and applies this theoretical approach to the mahalla institution in contemporary Uzbekistan. The study argues that the mahalla can be interpreted as a concrete manifestation of social topochronos because it combines a defined territorial environment with historically formed social practices, everyday interactions, cultural continuity, and mechanisms for responding to the changing needs of the population. The mahalla is therefore considered not simply as a geographical locality or an administrative unit, but as a socially organized space in which individuals participate in family, neighbourhood, cultural, educational, economic, and civic relations. Its significance becomes particularly visible in the context of New Uzbekistan, where the mahalla is increasingly positioned as a primary level for identifying and addressing social problems, strengthening social cooperation, supporting vulnerable groups, promoting employment, improving local infrastructure, and developing civic participation.