Invited blog post
I start with Disney in this piece because of what Disney represents: a global media conglomerate that now owns mega franchises that is familiar the world over, and where franchises like Star Wars and the Marvel Cinematic Universe attract huge fan interest in Malaysia. However, there is often a ‘cultural baggage’ of conflict and reluctance – and sometimes, shame – in identifying as a fan in Malaysia. Fandom is acceptable when its practice is structured around material fandom (exhibitions of props and replicas in shopping malls, usually leading up to release dates) and consumption (of the media text, merchandise like a Funko Pop figurine or official T-shirts), and there is a sense that this is a childhood past-time that one grows out of. And if one isn’t a child, then it has to be a practice sanctioned by the media industry (e.g. exhibitions and consumption of merchandise).
Excerpt from Henry Jenkins’s Global Fandom Jamboree
Podcast
Netflix’s The Chair has attracted the attention of many in academia for its sometimes brutal portrayal of realities in the humanities discipline, not only within the context of the small liberal arts American college where it’s set, but in greater academia too. I joined 4 Australian colleagues this week to talk about representation, as well as the tease of a David Duchovny cameo! Find us talking about Episode 4 here, and stay tuned for next week when I’ll be back to talk about Duchovny properly!
