European Fan Cultures 2015 invites inspiring talks about European fan studies and related topics. We welcome scholars who investigate (but not limited to) audiences, media, leisure, tourism, games and celebrities.
ERMeCC, Erasmus University Rotterdam, the Netherlands
12-13 November, 2015
Academic studies are increasingly paying attention to active audiences and participatory cultures. The figure of the fan – the enthusiastic, adoring, productive, but critical audience member perhaps best captures these cultures. Both online and offline, fans have their own subcultures, habits and local practices based around their relationship with a range of media texts and objects, both domestic and global.
Fandom represents what it means to engage with popular culture today. Fans are active, inspired and passionate followers of media content. Yet, the meaning-making processes of fans can vary greatly, especially when taking a geographical perspective. The diversity of Europe offers an interesting setting to explore the broad variety of fan practices, raising questions such as: How do fans understand objects of global or transnational pop-culture in their national or local context? How is one’s national identity of influence in (global) fan activism? What challenges unfold when fan production happens in the local language (e.g. fan fiction or fan forums)?
The conference is hosted by the Erasmus Research Centre for Media, Communication and Culture (ERMeCC) and will feature Professor dr. Cornell Sandvoss (University of Huddersfield) as a keynote speaker. He is the author of Fans: The Mirror of Consumption (2005), and co-editor of Fandom: Identities and Communities in a Mediated World (2007). His keynote will focus on “The Value of Belonging: Fans, Place and Postnationalism in Europe”.
European Fan Cultures 2015 invites inspiring talks about European fan studies and related topics. The topic of fans and fan cultures connects a wide range of disciplines, which is why we welcome scholars who investigate (but not limited to) audiences, media, leisure, tourism, games and celebrities. Early career scholars and PhD students are especially invited to contribute. We welcome proposals on, but not limited to, the following topics:
European Fan Cultures
Local fandom and audience cultures
National identity in media tourism, music and sports
Transcultural fandom
Politics and fandom
Media and European fandoms
Fan activism
Fan works and practices
Anti-fandom
Reception of video games, music, television
Construction of celebrity images
Methods and Approaches
Challenges of local fan studies, such as language issues
(Internet) ethnography
Ethics of researching fans, users and consumers
Please submit an abstract of max. 250 words (plus 3 key words to help classify your submission) and a short biography (including your name, email address, institutional affiliation and position) by the 22nd of July toSimone Driessen at: efc@eshcc.eur.nl
Notifications of acceptance will be send out before the 5th of August. There is a fee of 80€ which covers participations costs (including lunch and refreshments on both days).