Spotlight: Fan and Audience Studies Scholarly Interest Group

Spotlight:Fan and Audience Studies Scholarly Interest Group Mel Stanfill (bio) Ross Garner Since the early 1980s, concept of resistance, in broadest sense, has been integral to debates within audience fan studies. That was when scholars took up Stuart Hall's theoretical model encoding decoding mediated communication argued for agency situated members processes reading media texts.1 then, studies have consistently explored how audiences resist cultural, social, political, symbolic power multiple ways. The Fan (SIG) aims provide community researchers at all career points who are exploring such issues while also recognizing that these narratives resistance often incomplete need be further interrogated. Research is highly diverse. Its topics include histories film, television, other consumption; role daily lives groups marginalized along intersectional axes class, gender, race, ethnicity, sexuality, among others; forms oppression arising from industries [End Page 1] interpret make decisions based on quantitative data sets; resistant reception communities themselves sites exclusion oppression. Broadly committed challenging traditional centrality text film studies, SIG recognizes embraces interdisciplinary nature consumption research seeks consolidate legitimize this work, both outside borders Society Cinema Media (SCMS). We strive achieve goals various an annual essay prize graduate students (which includes support toward publication a recognized, peer-reviewed journal); travel grants assist with conference attendance; peer-to-peer mentorship members, including student, precariously employed, even tenured members. Our program designed help tackling range professional inequalities. Mentors mentees share strategies best practices addressing entrenched biases institutions departments, job market general hiring committees' promotion panels' perceptions particular. Additionally, offers year-round events celebrate field's interdisciplinarity by making connections between areas cultural For instance, during 2021–2022 academic year, we ran sessions focused branding oneself market, spatial dimensions identities spaces enable discourage, what can learn perspectives (and vice versa). Moreover, continue expand our SCMS's caucuses SIGs due fall under umbrella. At 2021 Annual Conference, sponsored panels "fannish" behaviors alt-right; online gaming platforms gestate extreme right-wing sentiment recruit individuals; contemporaneous audiences' affective attachments cinema; relating forms, established institutionally controlled broadcasts self-produced texts distributed social as YouTube. As list suggests, intersects work classical Hollywood silent cinema, television transmedia storytelling, radio podcasting, digital media, video games, comic books. Aligning caucuses, experiences people commitment supporting historically communities, which traditionally intertwined much areas. continues develop, look forward additional possibilities collaboration caucuses. being said, despite studies' progressive political agenda, nevertheless reproduced some One most pressing recent years decentering structuring whiteness field. too long, default figure white, Westernized, heteronormative, cisgender, middle-class consumer, which...