Fandom Nationalism: Participatory Censorship and Performative Patriotism in East Asia
Erika Ningxin Wang · Qian Huang
Nov 2025 · Bloomsbury Publishing USA
Ebook
168
Pages
infoThis book will become available on November 13, 2025. You will not be charged until it is released.
About this ebook
This book delves into the world of "fandom nationalism," where the lines between fan devotion and nationalistic fervor blur within the East Asian media landscape.
Taking a non-Western perspective in fan studies, this book challenges conventional understandings of fandom nationalism. While the concept usually describes how citizens passionately adore their nation akin to idolizing celebrities, this ground-breaking research adds a captivating twist: such passion encompasses not only the expressions of love fans shower upon their idols but also the intense hatred anti-fans direct towards stars - fans strategically employ nationalism as a weapon to win fan wars. This enriches the concept of fandom nationalism, exploring how fans use participatory censorship practices to accuse celebrities and their followers of problematic political stances, thereby channeling collective nationalist anger to exact revenge on despised celebrities, such as Zhang Zhehan, a Boys' Love drama actor who was banned by the authorities and the industry for taking photos at the Yasukuni Shrine in Japan.
Through a thorough review of relevant literature and detailed fieldwork data, this book reveals how fans and anti-fans participate in various stages of the banning process, leading to the career downfall of top stars in China. This brutal battleground, akin to cancel culture, is a product of the collusion among fans, netizens, the party-state, media platforms, and businesses, where fans' participation in nationalist practices can also be performative patriotism, driven by the desire to protect their idols and themselves. Using examples from China and beyond, Fandom Nationalism explores the relationship between fandom and the state more broadly.
Taking a non-Western perspective in fan studies, this book challenges conventional understandings of fandom nationalism. While the concept usually describes how citizens passionately adore their nation akin to idolizing celebrities, this ground-breaking research adds a captivating twist: such passion encompasses not only the expressions of love fans shower upon their idols but also the intense hatred anti-fans direct towards stars - fans strategically employ nationalism as a weapon to win fan wars. This enriches the concept of fandom nationalism, exploring how fans use participatory censorship practices to accuse celebrities and their followers of problematic political stances, thereby channeling collective nationalist anger to exact revenge on despised celebrities, such as Zhang Zhehan, a Boys' Love drama actor who was banned by the authorities and the industry for taking photos at the Yasukuni Shrine in Japan.
Through a thorough review of relevant literature and detailed fieldwork data, this book reveals how fans and anti-fans participate in various stages of the banning process, leading to the career downfall of top stars in China. This brutal battleground, akin to cancel culture, is a product of the collusion among fans, netizens, the party-state, media platforms, and businesses, where fans' participation in nationalist practices can also be performative patriotism, driven by the desire to protect their idols and themselves. Using examples from China and beyond, Fandom Nationalism explores the relationship between fandom and the state more broadly.
About the author
Erika Ningxin Wang is Assistant Professor at The Chinese University of Hong Kong, Shenzhen, China. Erika's research interests lie at the intersection of youth culture, digital media, and state governance.
Qian Huang is Assistant Professor of digital cultures at University of Groningen in The Netherlands. She has published articles on Chinese digital vigilantism, digital visibility, cancel culture in fandom, and nationalism in China in peer-reviewed journals.
Qian Huang is Assistant Professor of digital cultures at University of Groningen in The Netherlands. She has published articles on Chinese digital vigilantism, digital visibility, cancel culture in fandom, and nationalism in China in peer-reviewed journals.
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