Towards a global history of fandom
A network analysis of science fiction fans, 1926–47
Bibliographic Data
| ID | 21874402 |
|---|---|
| Authors | Eric Vero (0009-0009-9497-153X, University of Waterloo, corresponding author) |
| Year | 2026 |
| Volume | 14 |
| Issue | 2 |
| Pages | 187-213 |
| Publication date | 2026-06-01 |
| Open Access | No |
| Type | ARTICLE |
| Venue | The Journal of Fandom Studies (JOURNAL) |
| Journal identifiers | ISSN: 2046-6692 • E-ISSN: 2046-6706 |
| Publisher | Intellect (PUBLISHER • GB) |
| DOI | 10.1386/jfs_00134_1 |
| OpenAlex | W7163124738 |
| Language | EN |
| References cited | 4 |
Science fiction fans have existed for around a hundred years. Their community formed in the pages of the pulp magazine Amazing Stories . It is time for historians and fan studies scholars to examine the understudied group of historical actors who called themselves ‘scienceers’, passionate readers of science fiction who were contemporary to some of the most significant scientific discoveries in humanity’s history, for example the advent of atomic energy. This global history examines the international network of science fiction fans between 1926 and 1947 through three intersecting lenses: a global network of letters published in Amazing Stories , a semantic analysis of these letters to determine a common conversation held between fans and a close reading of letters from isolated locales. Overall, through these different lenses, I argue that the early science fiction fandom of the early twentieth century comprised fans from across the globe, all united by a passion for science learning and science fiction. The readers of Amazing Stories consisted of an early global community that laid the groundwork for the proliferation of the science fiction community in the later part of the century
Conversation · Fandom · Global network · History of science · Paranormal · Paratext · Passion · Comics and Graphic Narratives · Digital Games and Media · Utopian, Dystopian, and Speculative Fiction
| Highly cited | No |
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