Fan Cultures

Emphasising the contradictions of fandom Matt Hills outlines how media fanshave been conceptualised in cultural theory. Drawing on case studies ofspecific fan g... » 

Emphasising the contradictions of fandom Matt Hills outlines how media fanshave been conceptualised in cultural theory. Drawing on case studies ofspecific fan groups from Elvis impersonators to XPhiles and Trekkers Hillsdiscusses a range of approaches to fandom from the Frankfurt School topsychoanalytic readings and asks whether the development of new media createsthe possibility of new forms of fandom. Fan Cultures also explores the notionof fan cults or followings considering how media fans perform thedistinctions of cult status. «