Russian Language Culture & Politics

Welcome to the RLCP blog, where I share information, observations, and ongoing research dedicated to Russian language culture and politics.

"Language culture" you ask?

"Language culture" is a shorthand term I've used throughout my research to refer to the attitudes and beliefs language users and entire populations bring to their understanding of their native tongue, it's place in society, and rules of right and (mostly) wrong usage that shape their view of the world. I'm particularly interested in how language culture factors into political speech, and focus in my writing on Russia and the Soviet Union.

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"Political Correctness," "Propaganda," and "Fake News"

Both terms reflect attitudes toward language and, at least in their contemporary American English usage, carry negative connotations about each form of communication as being somehow overly baked (in the case of PC) or ethically compromised (in the case of propaganda). When we look more carefully at examples, as I do at this site, we find the situation is a bit more complicated. One person's "PC" is another's attempt to avoid offensive language. One's "propaganda" is another's attempt at political persuasion. Depending on who utters it and what they're referring to, "fake news" can mean "misinformation," "disinformation," or merely news that is unfairly negative about them. It's the slippery nature of these terms, their usage, and their reception, that makes the study of language culture so fascinating and illuminating toward a political culture and society.

Political Language in Putin's Russia

As my most recent book, Networking Putinism: The Rhetoric of Power in the Digital Age (currently under review for publication), devotes particular attention to the impact of the internet and social media on political language over the 2+ decades of Vladimir Putin's rule, I will have plenty to say and share about "new media" both in and outside of Russia.

How has a growingly authoritarian regime come to grips with a medium that in its essence was designed to foster global webs of grassroots and civic discussion and debate? As I share insights into trends and case studies, I would love to hear your thoughts and reactions, so please do take a moment to leave a comment!