Abstract
This thesis comprehensively explores the internal dynamics within Chinese fan communities and the intricate interactions among fans, media platforms, businesses, and the state, shedding light on the multifaceted factors influencing fan practices and collective actions in contemporary Chinese fan culture.Utilising extensive ethnographic methods, including digital ethnography on Chinese social media and multi-sited ethnography in seven Chinese cities, this study involves participant observation within online fan communities and offline fan activities, and in- depth interviews with 25 fan informants. The central focus lies in analysing gendered identities of idol fans, power dynamics within fandom, and fans’ interactions with media platforms, businesses, and the state.
The thesis uncovers the gendered construction of fan identities, spotlighting the paradoxical and contradictory nature of fantasised fan-idol relationships. It conceptualises gender-based fandom as a ‘heterotopia of intimacy’, providing insight into how fans navigate their internal world in relation to external realities. The research also unveils hierarchical fandom structures within communities, illustrating how fans strategically accumulate economic, cultural, and social fandom capital, resulting in big privileged fans emerging. Guided by higher-status fan clubs and big fans, the intricacy of fans’ daily practices far surpasses the expectations of media platforms and businesses. The latter thus fail in their attempts to ‘domesticate’ fans and to shape their practices, which are motivated by fans’ concerns with their own and their idols’ safety and interests.
Moreover, this thesis delves into fans’ interpretive labour and participatory censorship, which originates from fans’ ‘imaginings’ of the censorship system. Employing accusatory reporting as a tool, fans utilise censorship to secure victories in fan conflicts. Fans invest in interpretive labour to comprehend and internalise censorship and governance of the state through the formulation of reporting guidelines that steer collective reporting actions.
Fandom nationalism is another core concept in this research. Collective reporting is intertwined with fandom nationalism, illustrating their exploitation of nationalist narratives to effectively ‘kill’ disliked stars. Fans’ engagement in nationalist actions is not simply driven by their acceptance of nationalist ideology, but rather through performative patriotism. It is also found that fans of the censored stars reconsider political discourses such as ‘democracy’ and ‘state’ when they invent alternative strategies to navigate and counter censorship. Through a comprehensive ethnography exploring the intersections of gender, power, and politics within fan communities, this thesis aims to illuminate the unique landscape of Chinese fan culture in contemporary social and cultural contexts.
| Date of Award | 1 Jun 2024 |
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| Original language | English |
| Awarding Institution |
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| Supervisor | Hye-Kyung Lee (Supervisor) & Ruth Adams (Supervisor) |