Mum Fans: Identity, Feminism and Fan Culture in Contemporary China
About this ebook
Attending to the fact that in traditional Chinese culture, the term “mum” holds both sacred and taboo status, the author considers whether the mum fans’ appropriation of the term represents conformity or rebellion against existing gender norms, and explores the interplay in their practices of a range of influences, including Confucianism, socialism, the one-child policy, liberalism, feminism, pop culture, and fan culture. Through a combination of qualitative and quantitative research, Mum Fans: Identity, Feminism, and Fan Culture in Contemporary China offers analyses of the interrelations that exist between fans, social media, data technology, and the idol industry, thus constituting original and unique study of the cultural foundations of mum fan identities and participants’ data parenting practices as a unique expression of Chinese feminism.
It will therefore appeal to scholars of sociology and anthropology with interests in fan cultures, gender, data and algorithm culture, and contemporary Chinese society.
About the author
Li Ye is an associate professor at the School of New Media at Sichuan Film and Television University, China, where she specializes in teaching courses pertaining to new media and communication. Her research interests predominantly revolve around fan studies, gender studies, and new media studies.
