transformativeworksandcultures:

We have entered an historical moment
in which political communication is filled with fandom. Grassroots
fan communities mobilize to influence elections. Political candidates
perform fandom on the campaign trail. And of course, rallies on both
sides of the aisle are filled with bursts of fannish excitement.
Examples range from the Princess Leia “We are the resistance”
posters used during the 2017 Women’s March to Elizabeth Warren’s
Harry Potter references to the strong attachment Trump fans felt for
their candidate. Still, the affective nature of fandom is often
treated as being at odds with the rational discourse of the political
sphere, and the relationship between fandom and politics is often
dismissed or ignored.

Fan studies has a longer trajectory
of investigation into fan activism, beginning with letter-writing
campaigns and boycotts that sought to influence media decisions like
cancellation and casting calls (e.g. Jenkins, 1992; Lopez, 2012),
through to fan activism that impacted public issues, using charity
fundraisers, boycotts, and protests (e.g. Hinck, 2016; Jenkins &
Shresthova, 2012). This special issue specifically seeks research
into the role of fandom in political discourse—both in terms of
political organizations attempting to reach out to fans and fans
attempting to mobilize to participate in political discussion.

Topics may
include, but are not limited to:

  • New
    developments in fan activism since Jenkins and Shresthova’s 2012
    special issue
  • How
    fans use resources from fandom to make political arguments
  • How
    candidates, political officials, and other mainstream actors try to
    connect with fans
  • New
    theoretical terms, apparatuses, and perspectives for understanding
    fandom and politics
  • Global
    cases of fandom and politics
  • Historical cases of fandom and
    politics

Works
Cited

Hinck, A. (2016). Ethical
frameworks and ethical modalities: Theorizing communication and
citizenship in a fluid world. Communication
Theory, 26(1),
1–20.

Jenkins, H. (1992). Textual
Poachers: Television Fans and Participatory Culture.
New York: Routledge.

Jenkins, H., &
Shresthova, S. (2012). Up, up, and away! The power and potential of
fan activism [editorial]. Transformative
Works and Cultures, 10.
https://doi.org/10.3983/twc.2012.0435

Lopez, L. K. (2012).
Fan-activists and the politics of race in The Last Airbender.
International Journal of
Cultural Studies, 15(5),
1–15.


Submission
guidelines Transformative
Works and Cultures (TWC, http://journal.transformativeworks.org/) is
an international peer-reviewed online Gold Open Access publication of
the nonprofit Organization for Transformative Works copyrighted under
a Creative Commons License. TWC aims to provide a publishing outlet
that welcomes fan-related topics and to promote dialogue between the
academic community and the fan community. TWC accommodates academic
articles of varying scope as well as other forms that embrace the
technical possibilities of the Web and test the limits of the genre
of academic writing.

Theory: Conceptual
essays. Peer review, 6,000–8,000 words.

Praxis: Case
study essays. Peer review, 5,000–7,000 words.

Symposium: Short
commentary. Editorial review, 1,500–2,500 words.

Please visit TWC’s Web site
(http://journal.transformativeworks.org/)
for complete submission guidelines, or e-mail the TWC Editor (editor
AT transformativeworks.org).

Contact—Contact
guest editors Ashley
Hinck (hincka AT
xavier.edu) and Amber
Davisson (Amber.Davisson
AT keene.edu).

Due date—JANUARY
1, 2019, for estimated
June 15, 2020 publication.

Special issue CFP: Fandom and Politics (1/1/19; 6/15/20)
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