Journal of Fandom Studies, The - Volume 12, Issue 1, 2024

Older people are often stereotyped as being ‘stuck in the past’. They are seen as liable to moaning about change, of disliking new, contemporary culture, of living in the sweet embrace of nostalgic reminiscence. This article argues that a form of nostalgia – which I call reconstructive nostalgia, based on the work of Svetlana Boym – is an important part of fandom in the later life course. It is crucial for fannish object-relating, as this nostalgic process enables long-term fans to remain engaged with their favourite cultural texts, which change – sometimes fundamentally – across many decades. Based on in-depth interviews with 35 older sports fans (average age 72.5 years), this article introduces a new type of non-pejorative nostalgia to describe the process whereby an individual cherry picks aspects of a remembered text, and ‘reads’ those characteristics in the contemporary text, thus strengthening the subject-object bond. This textual manipulation helps to nurture ontological security, as the long-term fan seeks to retain their favourite text(s) as a central pillar of identity

This article situates ongoing debates about the governance policies of Archive of Our Own (AO3) in the context of the ideological tradition of technoliberalism, which links internet technologies with liberal ideals such as freedom of speech and individual choice. While often seen as a movement of the mid-2000s which swiftly gave way to straightforward corporatism, technoliberalism survives as a popular discourse in the AO3 debates, where popular rhetoric incorporates liberal defences of free speech and individual choice. Modern technoliberal arguments have developed in response to their critics, emphasizing individualistic content controls as an opportunity for self-expression and as protection from a historical tradition of censorship in fandom spaces.

Cosplay, a portmanteau of the words ‘costume’ and ‘roleplay’, involves fans dressing up and acting out fictional characters, usually at fan-themed events. Previous research on cosplay and well-being has found that people who cosplay, compared to non-cosplaying anime fans, experience more positive well-being, in part because they are more likely to disclose their fan interests to others rather than hiding it. In the present study we expand upon prior research by testing whether fandom identification and attending events mediate the association between cosplaying (i.e. a sample of cosplayers vs. non-cosplaying anime fans) and well-being. The results provide evidence for a serial mediation model consistent with our predictions and with prior findings. We discuss implications for measuring well-being in fan communities, including both cosplayers and non-cosplaying fans, as well as the potential benefits of in-person contact with members of one’s fandom.

This article takes up epistolary writing and the chronicling of experiences with and the impact of sexual violence in an example of fanfiction written in response to the classic young adult (YA) trauma novel, Stephen Chbosky’s The Perks of Being a Wallflower. Because this novel explores the impact of childhood sexual abuse, this project posits that two particular fanfiction stories (a fic and its sequel) offers a theorization of Charlie’s letters as a kind of ongoing victim impact statement, which then produces a unique narrative opportunity to create brave space for witnessing experiences of sexual trauma in community. As such, the fanfiction represents a kind of epistolary education wherein Charlie’s letters are positioned as a learning tool and source of feminist development through co-created emotionally supportive experiences. Specifically, how Charlie’s epistolary trauma testimony is responded to by allies and friends Patrick, Sam and Mary Elizabeth in the fanfiction is educative, particularly through their collective employment of two key practices: being generous and being generative in their responses to Charlie’s letters. Their epistolary education then positions them to uniquely process and prepare to reunite with and show up for Charlie as ethical witnesses to his trauma testimony. Thus, these two fanfiction stories function as significant sites for learning about sexual violence, ethically supporting victim-survivors of it, as well as strengthening the characters’ senses of community and selves.

Review of: Beyond the Deck: Critical Essays on Magic: The Gathering and Its Influence, Shelly Jones (ed.) (2023)

Jefferson, NC: McFarland, 301 pp.,

ISBN 978-1-47668-316-4, $39.95

Review of: Dislike-Minded: Media, Audiences, and the Dynamics of Taste, Jonathan Gray (2021)

New York City: New York University Press, 272 pp.,

ISBN 978-1-47980-998-1, p/bk, $30

Review of: Fandom and the Law: A Guide to Fan Fiction, Art, Film & Cosplay, Marc H. Greenberg (2021)

Chicago, IL: ABA Book Publishing, 263 pp.,

ISBN 978-1-64105-885-8, p/bk, $59.95