Stardom and Celebrity Assignment
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Stardom and Celebrity
Word count: 2000 words
Assignment question:
Recent work on fandom has sought to resituate the fan from concepts of the pathological, passive or resistive consumer to one where the fan is actively encouraged by the culture industries as part of the commoditization process in a way that is much more participatory in nature.
Drawing from a celebrity, pop star or group, television show, movie, or sports star
That you fare familiar with, discuss the following quote from Henry Jenkins:
“We need to accept that what we used to call co-optation also involves a complex set of negotiations during which the media industries have to change to accommodate the demands of consumers even as they seek to train consumers to behave in ways that are beneficial to their interests” (“Afterword: The Future of Fandom” in C. Harrington, J. Gray and C. Sandvoss, Fandom: Identities and Communities in a Mediated World, 2007, p.362).
The ‘Afterword’ is available to read and the concepts that you will discuss correspond to those examined in the other readings.
Some possible directions that you may want to consider in your response:
- How does the studio/ production company encourage active and Participatory fandom around the celebrity or text that you have chosen?
- How does the studio/ production company respond to fan feedback and Incorporate this into their construction of the celebrity/ text?
- Can you find slash fiction that emerges around this celebrity/ text? What does this tell us about celebrity culture and the political economy of celebrity industries?
Points to consider
- Please do not go and interview your friends for their perspectives around fandom. There are strict requirements for interviewing participants at university, and interview requests go through ethics approval. You should be able to find examples online that support your argument.
- As this is a research assignment, you should draw from at least three
Academic sources.
Marking criteria:
Your work will be assessed and marked according to the following criteria:
- developing a strong and effective argument, with an introduction and conclusion;
- developing an argument that comments and provides context on the specificity of your example, while relating these ideas to broader theories of active versus passive fandom;
- Evidence of close and critical analysis, attention to detail, and the Development of unifying themes and conceptual analysis;
- Evidence of further reading.
