Thai Boys Love drama fandom as a transnational and trans-subcultural contact zone in Japan

Bibliographic Data

ID7537296
AuthorsSae Shimauchi (0000-0002-0409-2526, Tokyo Metropolitan University, corresponding author)
Year2023
Volume37
Issue3
Pages381-394
Publication date2023-05-04
Peer ReviewedYes
Open AccessYes
TypeARTICLE
VenueContinuum (JOURNAL)
Journal identifiersISSN: 1030-4312 • E-ISSN: 1469-3666
PublisherTaylor & Francis (PUBLISHER • GB)
DOI10.1080/10304312.2023.2237709
OpenAlexW4385065010
LanguageEN
Citations received10
References cited24

Focusing on the online fandom of a Thai Boys Love (BL) drama in Japan, called tai-numa, this exploratory study examines its background, fan practices and experiences, and negotiations between fandoms and the mass media and within the fandom. Through interviews with 19 fans active in the fandom, which was shaped by external and internal factors, such as mediascape, characteristics of consuming BL, and the global pandemic, this research argues that the fandom is a transnational, transcultural, and trans-subcultural contact zone, enabling fans to create, learn, reflect, negotiate, and update each other’s values. Fandom activity was facilitated because it was equal and non-hierarchical, allowing for the engagement of a heterogeneous mix of fans from different subcultural backgrounds, and it offered a sense of simultaneity. Through fan voice and discussion, this paper suggests the potential impact of fandom activities on real life and what is needed for such fandoms to be established and sustained

Art · Art history · Contact zone · Drama · Ethnology · Fandom · Literature · Media studies · Sociology · Asian Culture and Media Studies · Gender Studies · Gender, Feminism, and Media · Media, Gender, and Advertising

Tools

Open DOIOpen Access