Social networking on the internet: is the Russian way special? (original) (raw)

In today's world where other cultures are being tapped to a greater extent than ever before, the processes of mixing and matching are especially relevant in making sense of Russia. Not only do borrowing and assimilation, interaction between the Own and the Alien, constitute a venerable tradition in Russian culture, but during the last two post-Soviet decades a notable Western influence has become apparent. This book provides means for understanding Russianness in this new situation. By bringing together Russian and Western, eminent and younger scholars it provides insights from both inside and outside the country. By extending its perspectives to three fieldslinguistics, cultural studies, and social sciencesit covers different dimensions of creative misunderstandings, hybrids, tensions, and other modes of adaptation in the Russian culture. By offering concrete case studies it avoids easy stereotypes, deconstructs clichés, problematizes accepted truths, and identifies points of interaction between Russia and the West.