Filipp Sapienza (Denver)

Russia, Cyberspace and Transcultural Rhetoric

In the past five years, the Web has become the locale for the growth of Russian virtual communities. Many of these communities are transnational in nature, comprised of Russians, non-Russians, and emigres. These individuals attempt to balance localized identifications with globalizing influences that are visceral in online fora, integrating the two in delicate and often fragile ways. Three rhetorics emerge in these fora that accomplish this: rhetorics of national-critical discourse (identity rhetorics), rhetorics that try to bridge cross-cultural differences (ameliorative rhetorics), and rhetorics that address the virtual community itself (contextual rhetorics). Together, these rhetorical practices suggest a transcultural or "othered" discourse that is somewhat cosmopolitan and globally mediated yet simultaneously deeply implicated in real life concerns, histories and politics.