Posts in Transformative Works and Cultures
Transformative Works and Cultures Releases Issue No. 44
Transformative Works and Cultures has released No. 44, “Centering Blackness in Fan Studies”, guest edited by Alfred L. Martin Jr. and Matt Griffin. This issue “brings together scholars working across an array of disciplines to center Black fandom” and “responds to [a] lack of privilege shown to Black fans.” As the editors of the special issue explain: “The articles in this issue examine Black fandoms on their own terms to examine how these audiences engage with popular culture, regardless of what the mainstream or official fandoms would say. These authors use Black fandom not as an object of comparison or a niche group but study… Read more
Transformative Works and Cultures Releases Issue No. 43
Transformative Works and Cultures has released No. 43, our annual general issue, edited by coeditors Poe Johnson and Mel Stanfill. The opening editorial of this issue speaks to editors’ hope that TWC can reimagine “fan studies as a big tent” which would “mak[e] all scholars who care about fans and fandom feel like they belong, regardless of whether their work is represented in canonical works or stems from a subfield.” This issue, as coeditors Mel Stanfill and Poe Johnson explain in their editorial, “shines a light on several underexplored fan practices, from period costuming to political fandom.” In addition, the issue includes a special section… Read more
Transformative Works and Cultures Releases Issue No. 42
Transformative Works and Cultures has released No. 42, “Fandoms and Platforms”, guest edited by Maria Alberto, Effie Sapuridis, and Lesley Willard. The essays in this issue focus on “The platform as the foundation of digital media”, as well as “fan activity of various kinds [which is] built upon and through specific spaces, technologies, and cultural norms”. Each issue includes articles representing theory, fannish meta, and book reviews. This issue groups its articles into three broad categories: architecture, community, and power. Some examples include: “It’s not your tumblr”: Commentary-style tagging practices in fandom communities Discord as a fandom platform: Locating a new playground The fading of… Read more
Five Things with Tanya D. Zuk
Every month or so the OTW will be doing a Q&A with one of its volunteers about their experiences in the organization. The posts express each volunteer’s personal views and do not necessarily reflect the views of the OTW or constitute OTW policy. Today’s post is with Tanya D. Zuk, who volunteers for Transformative Works & Cultures. How does what you do as a volunteer fit into what the OTW does? As an Assistant Editor for Transformative Works & Cultures (TWC), I help to review incoming scholarship on fans and transformative works by connecting articles with peer reviewers, synthesizing feedback, and maintaining journal standards. But… Read more
Transformative Works and Cultures Releases Issue No. 41
Transformative Works and Cultures has released No. 41, “Chinese Fandoms”, guest edited by Zhen Troy Chen and Celia Lam. This issue “seeks to dispel both the celebrity/media text dichotomy view of Chinese fandom as well as the factional perspective favored by media”. Further, the guest editors state that the issue “seeks to locate fandom within the evolving Chinese media landscape by articulating the role of fans as they take an increasingly central position.” The essays in this issue focus on mapping the flow of Chinese media texts across global popular cultures, reflecting on the role of fandom, and emphasizing the labor of Chinese fans, among… Read more