Abstract
Written two decades apart, these statements by Fiske and Slack illustrate shifts in how fan activity connects the popular imagination and real-world politics. Both claim that fandom’s “sense of solidarity… [and] shared resistance” empowers individuals to make decisive steps towards collective action. Fiske sees fandom as an informal set of everyday practices and personal identities, while Slack describes organisations with institutional ties to NGOs. In Fiske’s view, participants’ fantasies shape how they see themselves and the world, while Slack describes a conscious rhetorical strategy mapping fictional content worlds onto
The teenage girl fan of Madonna who fantasizes her own empowerment can translate this fantasy into behavior, and can act in a more empowered way socially, thus winning more social territory for herself. When she meets others who share her fantasies and freedom there is the beginning of a sense of solidarity, of a shared resistance, that can support and encourage progressive action on the micro-social level.
John Fiske, Reading the Popular (1989)
By translating some of the world’s most pressing issues into the framework of Harry Potter, [the Harry Potter Alliance (HPA)] makes activism something easier to grasp and less intimidating. Often we show them fun and accessible ways that they can take action and express their passion to make the world better by working with one of our partner NGO’s [non-governmental organisations].
Andrew Slack, Harry Potter Alliance (2009)
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Jenkins, H. (2015). “Cultural Acupuncture”: Fan Activism and the Harry Potter Alliance. In: Geraghty, L. (eds) Popular Media Cultures. Palgrave Macmillan, London. https://doi.org/10.1057/9781137350374_11
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