Presenting Author

John.Lenarcic@rmit.edu.au

Paper Type

Research-in-Progress Paper

Abstract

Liminality is a transitional form of cultural existence in which orthodox customs and societal structures are deferred and replaced with novel ceremonies and rituals that often lack the impression of rigorous permanence. Taking inspiration from the anthropological analyses of Arnold Van Gennep and Victor Turner this paper reflects in a philosophical manner on the metaphor of blogging as a liminal space. Through interpretation of ongoing ethnographic analyses of music blogs the argument is raised that blogging can be viewed as a liminal process for those that actively contribute to these online forums as well as their anonymous readership. Since a liminal space may contain an unstructured social network then blogging could also lead to a credible emergence of the latter.

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Blogging as a Liminal Space

Liminality is a transitional form of cultural existence in which orthodox customs and societal structures are deferred and replaced with novel ceremonies and rituals that often lack the impression of rigorous permanence. Taking inspiration from the anthropological analyses of Arnold Van Gennep and Victor Turner this paper reflects in a philosophical manner on the metaphor of blogging as a liminal space. Through interpretation of ongoing ethnographic analyses of music blogs the argument is raised that blogging can be viewed as a liminal process for those that actively contribute to these online forums as well as their anonymous readership. Since a liminal space may contain an unstructured social network then blogging could also lead to a credible emergence of the latter.