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gnineAs 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!
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!
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no subject
Date: 2010-07-10 03:05 pm (UTC)Native language: Swedish (I learned English as a child, and Japanese as an adult).
Language I most often fan in: English.
Is it alright to reference me: Sure.
What would you like to be called: Real first name would do well.
Would it be alright to contact me: Of course!
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)?
Again, nothing.
Have either of the above changed over the course of your time in fandom?
No, though I've shifted from mostly American stuff to mostly Japanese stuff. I can't think of anything I've ever fanned on that was produced in Sweden, in Swedish.
If/When consuming material not originally produced in a language you are fluent in, how do you access it?
I'm not really counting English-language stuff here, though it's true than when I was a very tiny little proto-fan, I did read books in Swedish translation, and see TV-shows with Swedish subtitles (that's how they were broadcast on national TV). But as soon as I knew enough English to realize that everything is better in the original language I stopped getting translated stuff altogether.
As for Japanese, I did read a lot of manga officially translated into English, and I watched subtitled anime. Once I had the kind of internet connection that would support it, I downloaded fansubs. And I played both officially released English-language Japanese RPG video games, and some fantranslations. All of it in English. But from the very beginning when I first discovered the Japanese stuff and started fanning on it, I was stubbornly determined to learn the language. I always wanted to be able to enjoy the original without middle hands, and a few years later, I got there.
Are there any culture’s materials you particularly avoid or seek out? If so, why?
I'm kind of curious about Korean manhwa, but I've decided to avoid it, simply because I wouldn't be able to stand translations again, and I don't want to have to learn another language.
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?
There were some things I had to adjust to when I first started getting into Japanese stuff. Right now I can barely remember exactly how it felt, or exactly what I reacted on. I remember that it felt fresh and interesting. More alive, less artificial (since then I've noticed that the clichés are just different, but when I first saw it, lacking the clichés I was used to, it really felt alive). There were different character types and different moral values than I was used to. I didn't have any negative reactions to it, but I do remember doing a double-take once in a while.
And, of course, the cultural references. But that's not just with the Japanese stuff, it goes for anything American or British as well. I think the in-jokes are actually the hardest part to adjust to - but it also means you get to learn new things.
Are there any particular tropes/stereotypes/character traits/plot devices you particularly associate with a certain culture’s material?
There's always the negative tropes... For example, the lonely hero and the annoying patriotism of American stuff, and the somewhat useless big-breasted mini-skirted women in Japanese works. But those are just stereotypes, and doesn't really say anything. It's hard to say something in general that encompasses for example all kinds of manga AND anime AND video games. But as for a trope I like, the focus on "nakamaship" is what's drawing me to shounen manga.
no subject
Date: 2010-07-10 03:05 pm (UTC)No. Some are, and sometimes I discover after knowing a person for a while that they're a Swede. Swedes seem to be a bit overrepresented on the internet considering our small population. But for the most part, no.
Do you think this changes depending on what fandom you’re in?
No, not really. The respective proportion of people from different countries might change (for examples, I know several people from the Philippines in the One Piece fandom, and I wouldn't have expected that in, say, SGA fandom. But I might be wrong), but the proportion of Swedes doesn't change much.
If you go to live fan events/conventions/meet-ups, have you attended different fan events for media of different cultures? If so, have you noticed any differences between such conventions?
The only fan events I've ever been to have been in Japan - several doujinshi events of different sizes as well as Jump Festa and one other seiyuu event. Needless to say, those where mainly for Japanese fandoms, although big doujinshi events like Comiket do have doujinshi for Western stuff as well.
Have you ever attended fan events/conventions/meet-ups in more than one country? If so, did you notice any differences?
Again, the only fan events I've ever been to have been in Japan. There are practically no fan events in Sweden, and I've never been to one in an English-speaking country. From what I hear, Western events (even in anime fandom) are very different from Japanese events, but I don't have the experience to make comparisons.
In any case, going to a Japanese event is an experience - not the least because you stand out a lot. But I've never met with any negativity. The Japanese fans are usually happy to meet foreign fangirls.
Has fanning with people from various countries ever caused surprise/confusion/misunderstandings?
There has been a couple of occasions when a person's English has been so bad that I had to think twice before realizing what they meant. Usually on LJ fandom, I'm really happy to have come to know people from all sorts of nationalities all over the world. Getting to know people from a country you don't know a lot about widens your world in a way. I love how the internet brings people together.
When it comes to fanning on Japanese stuff, there are often misunderstandings about, because few people understand the original language, and the available translations can be differing and sometimes wrong. But that has more to do with the source material than fans from different countries.
As for Japanese fandom in Japan, though, it's a bit more difficult. Even their internet fandom culture is different than what we do on LJ. And there is practically no overlap, since English fandom and Japanese fandom in general don't speak each other's languages. Also, although many are nice and squeeful when you meet them at events, as a Westerner it's hard to approach Japanese fandom even if you do speak the language.
Do your expectations for the fandom and its fanwork change depending on the source culture?
I have to say no, but only because I tend to not dive too deep into fandom. I tend to stay on my LJ and my F-list, and not go to the forums and communities where fans gather. I've heard that there are general differences between anime/Western fandoms, but I have a low tolerance for wank, so I'd rather avoid it altogether and focus on the squee with a limited number of people.
no subject
Date: 2010-07-10 11:11 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2010-08-26 08:55 pm (UTC)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! ^_____^
no subject
Date: 2010-08-27 02:39 pm (UTC)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?
I don't think it changes at all. The way I relate to fannish texts don't change by what culture it's from. My fannish practices can change depending on the nature of the source (for example, I'm not likely to write or seek out fanfic for a book) or the quality of the source (if there are holes in the plot/worldbuilding I want fic to fill them out!), but not culture. As for cons, like I said before, I've only ever been to events in Japan, but I would gladly go to events in the US or UK or something if I happened to be in that country.
in what ways, if any, has your fannish practices changed over your time in fandom?
My fanning have mostly changed as a result of change in fanning platform. I have fanned by e-mail only way back when, on certain fanfic archives, on internet forums, and for the last few years pretty exclusively on LJ. Though I guess none of that has changed the way I fan, and neither have the source material. I've always sought out gen fanfic and contributed mostly with meta, squee and short gen ficlets. But it's true that it took many years for me to realize that the "amv" phenomenon existed in Western TV fandom as well - I used to think only anime fandom made music vids.
And, naturally, though I've never been involved with scanlation or subbing, translating stuff from Japanese to share is a very specific type of fanning that I only do with a Japanese-language source text, and only in the last few years after I learned enough Japanese.
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?
No, I'm pretty much a gen fan. And on that front, one thing that I have noticed is that there seems to be more good gen stories in Western TV fandoms than in anime fandoms.
I would make comparisons between yaoi and slash in Japanese fandom (in Japanese) and Western fandom (in English), because I do notice differences, but you only ask about source culture, not fandom culture, and I don't have all that much experience anyway, so I'll leave it.