Russian Border Guards’ Self-Writing Online: Breaking Down the Soviet Cult of Heroism?

Abstract

This article examines amateur poems posted by Russian border guards in their own online forum. The main question the work poses is whether the Internet provides a new sphere in which old totalitarian identity politics can be challenged. It examines the meanings of selected Russian border guards’ online writing, with contextualisation as to how they challenge the hero-myth established in the Soviet collective “hero-narration” and their ability to generate new online identities. The study shows that whilst identity formation takes place through rhetorical exchange, neither online identities nor the use of online communities can be constructed without a backdrop of history, politics and individuals. State-controlled mainstream media force people to seek alternative channels for self-expression. The conclusions of the work indicate that the Internet may change post-Soviet identity politics, in that it creates an opportunity for people not to follow the old models of identity previously prescribed by the state and society. The context of this unique online writing group, however, provides us with an example of how the “rhetorical self” online, provides an opportunity to break down the cult of heroism offline.