Before the mass media, people actively engaged with culture through storytelling and expanding well-known tales. Modern fan culture connects to this historical tradition, and has become a force that challenges social norms and accepted behavior. Whether the issue is gender, sexuality, subversiveness, or even intellectual property law, fans participate in communities that allow them to think outside of what is possible in more mainstream scenarios. “Fannish” behavior has become its own grassroots way of altering our society and culture, and a means of actively experiencing one’s own culture. In a sense, fans have changed from the faceless adoring masses, to people who are proud of their identity and are stretching the boundaries of what is considered “normal”.
Featuring:
Prof. Francesca Coppa, Muhlenberg College
Chris Menning, editor at Modern Primate
Amanda Brennan, researcher at Know Your Meme
Dr. Whitney Phillips, lecturer at NYU
Alexa Dacre, fan fiction writer
Naomi Novik, Organization for Transformative Works
