O Mighty Flist (and beyond), I seek your assistance!

[gnine]

As you may or may not know, I’m currently working on my MA in Critical Media and Cultural Studies at University of London, SOAS (School of Oriental and African Studies). For my thesis, I’m delving into the question of how culture, one’s own, as well as that of the source material one is fanning on, affects how fans identify and interact with said media and the fandoms surrounding them.

I am very aware that academic scrutiny of fandom has at times been…less than pleasant, shall we say. With that in mind, I’d like to make clear that it is not my intent to place fen or fandom under the microscope, but rather to use them as one concrete example in the broader investigation of culture’s impact on the field of media studies.

The following questions I’ve split into two sections, one focused on the media itself, the other on fandom as a whole. These are just a jumping-off point; feel free to answer as many/as few of the questions as you’d like, in as much/little detail as you feel comfortable. If you’d prefer to comment anonymously or email me directly at gnine AT livejournal DOT com, that’s fine, too.

Media Questions:

How much of what you fan on is produced by your own culture/country?

How much of what you fan on is originally produced in your native language(s)?

Have either of the above changed over the course of your time in fandom?

If/When consuming material not originally produced in a language you are fluent in, how do you access it? (e.g., dubs, scanlations, muddle through the raws and just enjoy the pretty people/art/voices, etc.)

Are there any culture’s materials you particularly avoid or seek out? (e.g. you avoid anything Japanese, be it anime, manga, video games, etc.; you love anything British, TV, books, etc.)If so, why?

The first time you watched/read/listened to something produced by a culture whose material you had not previously fanned on, were there details you had to adjust to (e.g. narrative styles, character depictions, pacing, cultural references, etc.) ?

Are there any particular tropes/stereotypes/character traits/plot devices you particularly associate with a certain culture’s material?


Fandom Questions:

At a guess, are the majority of the people you regularly fan with your nationality?

Do you think this changes depending on what fandom you’re in?

If you go to live fan events/conventions/meet-ups, have you attended different fan events for media of different cultures? (E.g. have you gone to both conventions for an English-language series (such as Supernatural) and anime conventions?)If so, have you noticed any differences between such conventions?

Have you ever attended fan events/conventions/meet-ups in more than one country? If so, did you notice any differences?

Has fanning with people from various countries ever caused surprise/confusion/misunderstandings?

Do your expectations for the fandom and its fanwork change depending on the source culture?


Additionally, there are a few details that’d be helpful for everyone to include, if they could:

Nationality:
Native language(s):
Language(s) you most often fan in (e.g. write/read/discuss in):
Gender (that you're most comfortable identify yourself as):
Is it all right for me to reference you directly in the final paper:
If yes, how would you prefer to be called (e.g. LJ handle/name/nickname/anonymously, etc):
If needed, would it be alright for me to contact you for more questions/details via email/skype, etc.?


Beyond that, if there are any other details, personal experiences, general trends you’ve observed, feel free to expound. Further discussion/questions in the comments is also very welcome.

If anyone's willing to link this in their journals, I’d be grateful, as the more responses the more expansive the research.

Thanks for your help!

Comments

[(Anonymous)]

Media Questions:

How much of what you fan on is produced by your own culture/country?

Nothing.

How much of what you fan on is originally produced in your native language(s)?

Nothing.

Have either of the above changed over the course of your time in fandom?

No.

If/When consuming material not originally produced in a language you are fluent in, how do you access it? (e.g., dubs, scanlations, muddle through the raws and just enjoy the pretty people/art/voices, etc.)

I consider myself fluent in English, so I can follow it as originally produced. Japanese materials is distributed through dub/translation in my native country, and it is the way I follow them, though I to rely more on subtitles/scanlations

Are there any culture’s materials you particularly avoid or seek out? (e.g. you avoid anything Japanese, be it anime, manga, video games, etc.; you love anything British, TV, books, etc.)If so, why?

No. though the way the media are distributed here means that my source material is mostly North American, with some British and Japanese.

The first time you watched/read/listened to something produced by a culture whose material you had not previously fanned on, were there details you had to adjust to (e.g. narrative styles, character depictions, pacing, cultural references, etc.) ?

Manga/manhua are usually produced by a single creator, so I am not used to the collaboratory nature of US superhero comic. The art style also takes sometimes to adapt to. I still think many of them look better in black-and-white, like the manga usually does.

Are there any particular tropes/stereotypes/character traits/plot devices you particularly associate with a certain culture’s material?

You are supposed to put out on early dates in US American materials, while in Japanese materials it is natural for children to be mecha pilots and they are encouraged to date. Redemption means death in the West, but it means heel face turn in Japan. There are just a lot of difference in the culture behind the works.


part the second
Fandom Questions:

At a guess, are the majority of the people you regularly fan with your nationality?

No. Most of them are from Western culture.

Do you think this changes depending on what fandom you’re in?

It is easier to find local fans in Japanese fandoms.

If you go to live fan events/conventions/meet-ups, have you attended different fan events for media of different cultures? (E.g. have you gone to both conventions for an English-language series (such as Supernatural) and anime conventions?)If so, have you noticed any differences between such conventions?

I haven't.

Have you ever attended fan events/conventions/meet-ups in more than one country? If so, did you notice any differences?

No.

Has fanning with people from various countries ever caused surprise/confusion/misunderstandings?

Frequently. It's the vocabulary - and the cultural asumption.

Do your expectations for the fandom and its fanwork change depending on the source culture?

Hmm, yes and no. North American materials indulge power fantasy more to the extent of engulfing the plot. There is more fatalism in Japanese materials. However, the quality of fanworks depends more on the average age of the fandom


Additionally:

Nationality: China
Native language(s): Chinese
Language(s) you most often fan in (e.g. write/read/discuss in): English
Is it all right for me to reference you directly in the final paper: Yes
If yes, how would you prefer to be called (e.g. LJ handle/name/nickname/anonymously, etc): snowynight
If needed, would it be alright for me to contact you for more questions/details via email/skype, etc.? Sorry, but I would prefer no.

[gnine.livejournal.com]

So I know this is ridiculously after the fact (busy summer/additional research/the fact that I'm a horrible procrastinator and more all account for it) but if you have the time/inclination, I have a few follow-up/additional questions that would be a big help if you could answer:

In what ways (if any), for you personally, do your fannish practices change depending on the source culture of the material you're fanning on? (e.g. do you watch more music vids for anime, do you read/write particular kinds of fic for western shows, do you seek out cons for only certain types of fandoms, etc.) The more specific the examples, the better.

Semi-related to the above question, in what ways, if any, has your fannish practices changed over your time in fandom? (both in general over the years you've been in fandom and in specific fandoms. ) And have these changes at all coincided with differences in source culture? (eg for western fandoms, you've always just watched/read fic w/out much change over time but with Japanese fandom, you started watching anime then moved on to music vids then progressed to
helping scanlate manga because you went on to learn Japanese, etc.)

And one or two questions on one topic I might be exploring in a bit more detail, so:

Are you interested in/have any experience with/in slash/Boys Love/yaoi/ m/m etc.? If yes, do you notice a difference in how it is approached/explored depending on the source culture of the material? Examples/details appreciated.

Do you personally approach it differently/have different expectations for how it's depicted in fan works depending on the culture? If so, in what ways?

Oh, also, if I don't already know it (ie know you in person) and you're comfortable sharing it, what gender do you identify yourself as?

Again, thanks for your time, any details you have already or can additionally provide are a big big help! ^_____^