FANTHROPOLOGY

By scarletlatitude

Recently I’ve taken up listening to podcasts while I drive and while I exercise. One podcast I listened to recently is “Ologies,” by Allie Ward. Right after we decided this issue would be about fandoms, Allie did an episode on Fanthropology, or how fandom interacts with anthropology. (More on that podcast episode here: https://www.alieward. com/ologies/fanthropology.) What a crazy coincidence, right? It was a sign that I had to write about this for AVENues.

First, what is a fandom? The term fandom “describes communities built around a shared enjoyment of an aspect of popular culture, such as books, movies, TV shows, bands, sports or sports teams, etc.” (Grinnell.edu). The first fandom was probably for the original Sherlock Holmes books. When Arthur Conan Doyle tried to kill off Sherlock in 1893, the fans held protests and mourned outside of the author’s home. There is even some evidence of Sherlock fans writing fanfiction back in the early 1900s.

The internet is making it possible for fans to find each other, no matter where they live or what fandom they are in. Fandom members can argue, critique, support, and validate each other. They can share artwork, fanfiction, cosplays, and other forms of media. In the past, being a fan might have had negative connotations, where fandoms were only for “nerds.” Now, it’s so mainstream that companies are marketing to specific fandoms.

Why do people participate in fandoms? This is still an active area of research, where anthropologists are studying the impacts of on demand media (think Netflix) and the internet. The technology has changed so quickly and anthropologists are catching up. According to Carrie Neill, “we identified a fairly well nested set of psychosocial needs that fandom fulfills - needs related to identity, self-care, and social connection. We know mechanisms like religion or

political ideologies can fulfill similar psychosocial needs. Now, we see that fandom can do it as well.” Beyond just being passive consumers of media, a fandom can become active creators. “Fan interaction with media becomes a social activity, and this process allows fans to build their own communities in which they can express themselves” (Grinnell.edu).

Participating in some fandoms can be seen as an act of resistance or social defiance. In some ways, fandoms represent “a space within which fans may articulate their specific concerns about sexuality, gender, racism, colonialism, militarism, and forced conformity” (Jenkins). For an example of this, look no further than when the BTS Army became a political influence in 2020. (https://www. theguardian.com/music/2020/jun/24/how-us-k-pop-fansbecame-a-political-force-to-be-reckoned-with-blm-donaldtrump)

Obviously, the scope of fanthropology is something way beyond my ability to condense into one article. It is an ever-changing field incorporating many different people and many different fandoms. I will include some references below if you want to learn more.

Resources: https://www.alieward.com/ologies https://variety.com/2016/tv/columns/understanding-fanssuperpower-troika-1201743513/ https://www.wired.com/2009/04/pl-brown-6/ https://dscout.com/people-nerds/susan-kresnicka-fieldreport https://haenfler.sites.grinnell.edu/subcultural-theory-andtheorists/fandom-and-participatory-culture/ https://mitpress.mit.edu/books/confronting-challengesparticipatory-culture https://kuscholarworks.ku.edu/handle/1808/9757 https://www.academia.edu/491940/The_Dynamics_of_ Fandom_Exploring_Fan_Communities_in_Online_Spaces