1st Edition
Fan Identities and Practices in Context Dedicated to Music
Popular music is not simply a series of musicians, moments, genres or recordings. Audiences matter; and the most ardent audience members are the fans. To be a fan is to feel a connection with music. The study of fandom has begun to emerge as a vital strand of academic research, one that offers a fresh perspective on the nature of music culture.
Fan Identities and Practices in Context investigates fan identities and practices in different contexts and in relation to different bands and artists. Through a series of empirical case studies the book reflects a diverse array of objects and perspectives associated with this vibrant new field of study. Contributors examine how fans negotiate their identities and actively pursue their particular interests, touching on a range of issues including cultural capital, generational memory, gender, fan fiction and the use of new media. This book was originally published as two special issues of Popular Music and Society.
Introduction Mark Duffett
Part I: Identities
1. Directions in Music Fan Research: Undiscovered Territories and Hard Problems Mark Duffett
2. A Long Strange Trip: The Continuing World of European Deadheads Peter Smith and Ian Inglis
3. "Anyone who Calls Muse a Twilight Band will be Shot on Sight": Music, Distinction, and the "Interloping Fan" in the Twilight Franchise Rebecca Williams
4. Diva Worship and the Sonic Search for Queer Utopia Craig Jennex
5. Making Monsters: Lady Gaga, Fan Identification, and Social Media Melissa A. Click, Hyunji Lee and Holly Willson Holladay
6. "His Soul Was Wandering and Holy": Employing and Contesting Religious Terminology in Django Fandom Siv B. Lie
7. My Music, Not Yours: Ravings of a Rock-and-Roll Fanatic B. Lee Cooper
Part II: Fan Practices
8. Fan Practices Mark Duffett
9. Autechre and Electronic Music Fandom: Performing Knowledge Online through Techno-Geek Discourses Thomas Brett
10. New Economy of Fandom Patryk Galuszka
11. "Bandom Ate My Face": The Collapse of the Fourth Wall in Online Fan Fiction Ross Hagen
12. Filming Concerts for YouTube: Seeking Recognition in the Pursuit of Cultural Capital Steven Colburn
13. Penfriendships, Exchange Economies, and "FBs": Take That Fans Networking before the Digital Revolution Anja Löbert
14. Smells Like Focus Group Spirit? The Changing Nature of Pop Fandom and its Deployment as a Political Tool Rupa Huq
Conclusion Mark Duffett
Biography
Mark Duffett is Senior Lecturer in Media and Cultural Studies at the University of Chester, UK. His other books include Understanding Fandom (2013) and the forthcoming Elvis Presley (2016). He is also the editor of Popular Music Fandom (2014).
