Fractured Fandoms
Contentious Communication in Fan Communities
Format:Hardback
Publisher:Lexington Books
Published:15th Jun '18
Currently unavailable, and unfortunately no date known when it will be back
This hardback is available in another edition too:
- Paperback£35.00(9781498552585)
Being a fan helps people to discover their identities, find friends, develop a sense of belonging, express themselves creatively, and act as powerful creators and participants in a capitalistic system. At times, however, being a fan becomes problematic, especially when clashes with other fans occur both inside and outside of their fandoms and fan communities. As their communication becomes contentious, power imbalances destabilize collectives and fans experience fear, sadness, pain, and harassment. Such problematic situations can become “fractured fandoms.” Fractured Fandoms: Contentious Communication in Fan Communities observes the problems or fractures that occur within and between fandoms as fans and fan communities experience differences in interpretation, opinion, expectation, and behavior regarding the object at the center of their fandom. The book demonstrates the fractures through an examination of self-interviews, collected news stories, and previous research regarding these problems, ultimately providing an assessment of the causes and effects of such fractures and the larger social and cultural issues they reflect.
Fandom has never been harmonious. In Fractured Fandoms, CarrieLynn Reinhard explores what happens when fans stop being nice—or were never nice to begin with. Reinhard’s Fractured Fandoms brings a fresh perspective to debates within fan studies by breaking down what it means to be a fan and the processes involved in joining a fandom. Opening up fan studies to new methods and texts, including those from sports, politics, communication studies, and stories of underexplored media, Fractured Fandoms is sure to become a necessary addition to any fan scholar’s library. -- Paul Booth, DePaul University
Fractured Fandoms smartly explores what happens when fan culture intersects with “argument culture.” Considering the darker sides of fandom, as well as how negative experiences can sometimes lead to positive narratives of growth, social support and learning, CarrieLynn Reinhard sensitively analyzes fans’ self-interviews. Focusing on the situations and ideologies that are linked to communication fractures, Reinhard argues for increased dialogue wherever possible, setting out a communication toolbox to support dialogic engagements. Fractured Fandoms will no doubt unite scholars and fans—and all hybrids thereof—in impressed, appreciative debate. -- Matt Hills, University of Huddersfield
ISBN: 9781498552561
Dimensions: 237mm x 159mm x 22mm
Weight: 508g
248 pages