Understanding Fandom: An Introduction to the Study of Media Fan Culture

Duffett's book is a much needed addition to the field of fan studies. It provides a thorough examination of the field and does not shy away from the messy and conflicting material and theories that underpin much of fandom studies. His writing is clear and not too heady, but certainly suited to the academic realm.What makes this introduction so useful to the field is that it is far-reaching, combining multiple fandoms (with a stronger emphasis on televisual, music, and celebrity than others) in his examination, and also confronting many of the hot topics in the field (gender studies, online/offline practices, fan stereotypes). This book is clearly designed to be used in a media studies classroom, with opening questions and epigraphs for each chapter, a thorough glossary, and expansive reference list. In a particular bonus, he gives a nice overview of research in the field, examining the possibilities and restrictions of different research methods. This kind of approach to the text makes it highly adaptable to other areas/disciplines as a thematic approach to classes in sociology, anthropology, communication, and more. As a composition instructor, I have found it useful in my own classes to provide students with applications for examining literacy, genre, and research practices through a fandom studies lens.While I wouldn't recommend this book to anyone who doesn't want to dive into complexity of fandoms, I found this book an important addition to the field, presented in an engaging and critical way. Duffett neither patronizes his readers by dumbing down the material nor alienates them by obscuring his prose in academese.

This book is so dry, I’m parched just thinking about it. Honestly though, if I didn’t have to read this for school I would have put it down after the first few pages and never picked it up again. I also found the reference somewhat dated, even for a book published in 2013.

This book is very well researched and well written and very important and interesting and insightful and very useful for everyone wanting to understand popular culture and music Great case studies and examples. I recommend this book without qualifications for everyone wanting to understand popular culture and music and Fandom in particular..

I recommend this text for any unit that involves fandom studies. The chapters are well-organized and the concepts easy to follow. The array of pop culture references provide an engaging and engrossing introduction to media analysis.

boring abdominal repetitive

Excellent condition

As a longtime fan with a recent interest in fan studies and acafandom, I figured this would be a good starting point in gaining an overview of the major theories, works, and scholars in the field of fan studies. I certainly was not left disappointed. While Duffett's text didn't really say anything that surprised me, putting it in the context of scholarship and history was very helpful. Duffett takes the time to explain the origins of fan studies and the breaks down the study of fans and fandom into a number of different areas before concluding with ideas on new frontiers for fan studies going forward. Though sometimes it seemed like he was mostly just quoting or paraphrasing Henry Jenkins (a pioneer in the field and one of the foremost current scholars in the area), Duffett contextualized Jenkins' statements and offered some of his own perspectives into the discussion as well.I definitely recommend this for someone wanting to get an overview of the current state of fan studies - it's a relatively recent publication so is up-to-date. It does skew a bit more toward an academic and scholarly audience, but I think it's still a beneficial read for any fan.

I just wish that Duffett had done some checking of his sources and citations. The are numerous items missing from the bibliography (i.e, they're cited in the text, but when you go to find the full citation, there's nothing).

This book has been invaluable in my research and essays for uni. I think the fact that I've got over 70% grades in all the assignments I've used it speaks for itself! Well written, easy to follow but doesn't sacrifice standard of research; I will definitely be using this in my dissertation!

A really interesting read. I would definitely recommend this as a must read for anyone interested in the topic, especially as it's a very revent work. Manages to be incredibly detailed without losing a sense of clarity.

An incredibly detailed and engaging account of fan cultures. As a lecturer in Screen Media I use this book as a core text on our cult film module. The students find it very accessible and up-to-date. I particularly enjoyed the sections on fan representation. I would certainly recommend!

I am using this book as a reference point for my dissertation, explains fandom pretty well giving examples.

Excellent book on Fan Studies, a must-have !