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Beyond belonging

A conversation on inauthenticity, third-culture kids, and fandom

Bibliographic Data

ID7473206
AuthorsLori Morimoto (0000-0003-0933-5934, University of Virginia), Haerin Shin (0009-0006-6766-2529, Korea University), Sangita Shresthova (0000-0001-6292-2244, University of Southern California, corresponding author)
Year2026
Volume29
Issue2
Pages354-363
Publication date2026-03-01
Peer ReviewedYes
Open AccessYes
TypeARTICLE
VenueInternational Journal of Cultural Studies (JOURNAL)
Journal identifiersISSN: 1367-8779 • E-ISSN: 1460-356X
PublisherSAGE Publications (PUBLISHER • US)
DOI10.1177/13678779251358396
OpenAlexW4412516538
LanguageEN
Citations received1
References cited5

This conversational essay brings together Lori Morimoto, Haerin Shin, and Sangita Shresthova in an exploration of inauthenticity, cultural liminality, and the generative tensions of transcultural fandom. Moving across personal narratives and scholarly reflection, this dialogue situates fandom as a contact zone shaped by asymmetrical power relations, affective attachments, and performative negotiations of identity. Drawing on the framework of the “third culture kid,” the authors discuss how experiences of dislocation and “passing” disrupt fixed notions of cultural belonging. Rather than viewing inauthenticity as a deficit, the conversation reimagines it as a productive and necessary condition for understanding transcultural engagements. From Bollywood dance and speculative fiction to K-pop, the authors propose that the unstable, often contradictory experiences of fandom might hold the key to rethinking authenticity, ownership, and cultural intimacy in the times with globalized media flows

Conversation · Fandom · Media studies · Political science · Psychoanalysis · Sociology · Asian Culture and Media Studies · Communication · Education, Sociology, Communication Studies · Gender Studies · Media Studies and Communication · Psychology

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  • (Trans)Cultural Legibility and Online Yuri!!! on Ice Fandom

    Lori Morimoto, Morimoto Morimoto•Mechademia Second Arc•2019

  • Fan Cultures

    Matt Hills, Matthew Hills•Fan Cultures•2003

  • Fandom studies as I see it

    H Jenkins•The Journal of Fandom Studies•2014

  • Culture and Imperialism

    Andrew J Pierre, Edward Said et al.•Foreign Affairs•1993

Unique citing works1
Citations per year1
Citation span2026 - 2026 (1)
Citation velocitycurrent
Highly citedNo
Citation typesNeutral: 1

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