Persian Diasporic Bloggers and Virtual Performance of Cultural Identities

Abstract

This paper focuses on the concept of consciousness and liminality in the Iranian Diaspora and the way Iranians create digital diasporas where they can practise cultural identities outside the homeland. The discussion elaborates on the concept of traditional <em>dowreh</em> (family/social circle) in the fibre of Persian culture and then illustrates the creation of a virtual <em>dowreh</em> among Persian bloggers in the diaspora and the reasons that might contribute to the formation of such a digital <em>dowreh</em> in the diaspora. By exploring a section of a weblog called “Friday for Living" it demonstrates that weblogs provide a unique opportunity for the Persian diasporic bloggers to revive a <em>dowreh</em> in a virtual way where they can get together and practise cultural identities in the diaspora while living between two cultures. The examination of “Friday for Living" also reveals that the virtual <em>dowreh</em> for this group of Iranian diasporic bloggers acts as a community of practice that assigns the members a domain, membership, and commitment, and members took part in joint activities by sharing their stories and experiences.