Politics for the Love of Fandom: Fan-Based Citizenship in a Digital World

Politics for the Love of Fandom examines what Hinck calls "fan-based citizenship" civic action that is blended with and arises from participation in fandom. Examining cases like Harry Potter fans fighting for fair trade, YouTube fans donating money to charity, and football fans volunteering to mentor local youth, Hinck argues that fan-based citizenship functions by inviting citizens to act out of a commitment to a fan-object, rather than via traditional political institutions such as the Democratic Party or the Catholic Church.

Within the context of an increasing digital and networked world, individuals can easily move among many institutions and groups. They thus have more choices than ever for institutions and groups that guide their civic actions--even non-civic groups like the Harry Potter fandom can become the foundations for civic action.

This significant shift opens up opportunities for public engagement that occurs outside of political parties, organizations for social activism, and religious houses of worship. Fan-based citizenship performances help us understand the future possibilities of public engagement. Examples like Ruth Bader Ginsburg's large fan following stemming from the Notorious RBG Tumblr blog makes clear that public culture and fandom are already increasingly connected. Hinck examines the communication at the center of these civic actions, exploring how fans, nonprofits, and media companies manage to connect fandom with public issues.