The Sociocultural Frontier of the “Russian Trickster” in Sci-Fi Series on Transnational Television

Abstract

The authors examine the formation of the "Russian trickster's" sociocultural frontier in Sci-Fi series broadcast by leading producers of transnational television. Using new empirical material and an updated methodological apparatus, the study continues the discussion of the electronic frontier, frontier stereotypes of the Other's image, and the virtualization of the sociocultural frontier. The study aims to reveal the context of social discourse deconstructed in the series and to determine within it the narrative functions of the figurative sphere of the "Russian trickster" formed by transnational television. In the cultural orders of the selected Sci-Fi series, the authors established three narrative functions of the "Russian trickster": 1) the salvific image of the Other, a representative of a foreign cultural normative system that rehabilitates the ethical principles of collective existence; 2) the image of a defender of a bygone era that broadcasts the concept of freedom of choice; 3) the image of a swindler, without cooperation with whom social management is impossible. The image of the "Russian trickster" is a key opponent in the rhetorical situation, demonstrating an ambivalent essence and exerting a significant influence on the worldview of Sci-Fi series fans. The paradigm of representing Russian culture as a trickster, dominant in transnational television, is heterogeneous and ambivalent due to the contradictory essence of the trickster's sociocultural frontier. The results will attract the attention of scholars studying the frontiers of contemporary culture, cinema, and television series, as well as university students.