The fandomization of political figures

Authors

  • Sabrina McMillin Grey Horse Communications

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.3983/twc.2020.1899

Keywords:

Civic engagement, Ruth Bader Ginsberg, Jane Jacobs, Online communities, Politics, Social media

Abstract

This article examines the application of traditional fandom characteristics to political and historical figures using two case studies: the Notorious R. B. G. fandom surrounding Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg and an urbanist meme community on Facebook that pays homage to mid-twentieth-century journalist and activist Jane Jacobs. These case studies illustrate how these two figures are turned into icons. Such fandomization can inspire enhanced civic education, strong political coalitions, and activism if the icons are viewed with nuance and paired with concrete action and study.

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Published

2020-03-15

Issue

Vol. 32 (2020): Fandom and Politics

Section

Symposium

License

TWC Nos. 25 onward are licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License (CC by 4.0). For an explanation of the journal's reasoning, see the TWC editorial Copyright and Open Access. TWC Nos. 1 through 24 are licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 3.0 Unported (CC BY-NC 3.0) license, with TWC, not the author, retaining copyright.

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