The Author is Alive and Kicking Back: Why Ethnography Etics has a Place in Fan Studies

Recently, a renowned fan studies scholar made the statement that her research on participatory culture merely included "texts". It is, however, no secret, that behind those texts are people who enthusiastically and lovingly use a book, film, or TV show to produce derivative works of art -- cultural content specific to fandom culture. Unsurprisingly, not all fans appreciate the scrutiny of scholars, and thus react quite violently to this unsolicited attention. This essay explores why fans push back when their culture is appropriated by scholars, and it gives an explanation as to why participatory culture researchers need to rethink their methods. Understanding participatory fandom as a whole, a culture with nation-like traits, brings new insights to the scholar who would otherwise step across the invisible borders of a nation that few, except those who live in it, know exists. Literature students often go by the notion that the author is dead, but in fandom, the author is alive and kicking, making it clear there is a difference between consumer texts produced offline, and the cultural expressions of a nation, texts that are not just works of love, but expressions of identity and belonging created by the citizens in the fandom nation.