The Origins of Fandom Studies

Fandom

In this course, Professor Henry Jenkins (University of Southern California, Annenberg) discusses his ideas of Fandom and Fandom Studies. In the first module, we look at the origins of Fandom Studies. After this, we explore the typical stereotypes of fans and fandom. Then, we look at how fandom operates as a subculture. After this, we explore the idea of Participatory Culture in a little more detail. Then, we look at the idea of Pop Cosmopolitanism in a little more detail. After this, we explore the idea of Civic Imagination in a little more detail. Then, we look at the idea of Transmedia Storytelling in a little more detail. Finally, we look at the idea of Spreadable Media.

The Origins of Fandom Studies

In this module, we look at the origins of Fandom Studies. In particular, we focus on: (i) how Fandom Studies' origins can be traced back to the Birmingham School of Cultural Studies in Great Britain, including a discussion of Raymond Williams' essay "Culture Is Ordinary"; (ii) how Stuart Hall's idea of "encoding-decoding" challenged the notion of a dominant reading and emphasised various interpretations of media texts by different audiences; (iii) Dick Hebdige's idea of subcultures, particularly working-class adolescence, and their use of appropriation and remixing of symbols to form their identities; (iv) how Angela McRobbie criticised Dick Hebdige for not acknowledging women's roles in subcultures and their cultural expressions; (v) how Bell Hooks highlighted the oppositional gaze and critical reading of media representations by marginalised groups; (vi) how John Fisk popularised the idea of how ordinary people resist dominant cultural meanings and process television images; (vii) how Henry Jenkins saw fandom as a mix of fascination and frustration, and viewed fans as "poachers" who creatively appropriate and remix elements from existing culture to create new expressions; and (viii) a discussion of "Have you heard George's podcast?" which serves as an example of appropriation and resignification in modern media.