Project Description
My research will cover two topics in the history of Star Wars fanship: cosplay and fan fiction. The former describes the subcultures that have arisen from dressing as characters from the saga. Many aim for screen-accuracy, others showcase their physical comeliness, and some reconfigure popular characters to reflect their racial identities. Sources on fan experiences include interviews, social media posts, and features articles covering major conventions. The writing of stories deploying Star Wars characters into new storylines has had a career nearly as long as the movies themselves. Reams of recent examples of this imaginative work appear in online communities. Some older writing has been scanned, but most works dating before 1997 will require some archival digging. While this project is interdisciplinary, its methodologies draw mostly from History: collecting and evaluating primary sources, applying critical theory, and discerning continuities and disruptions. Relying on a combination of sources printed physically, residing on the internet, and uncoverable by having conversations, our goal is to construct two narratives inclusive of minorities in Star Wars fanship, prioritizing the historical contexts of the films and uncovering overlooked themes, such as interracial intimacy, whether explicit or implicit.
Tasks and Responsibilites
Throughout the academic year, we will meet once a week to discuss themes, evaluate recent discoveries, and plan steps for the next week. In between, Scott will research fan activities, search for primary source documents, and interact with fans via social media. In the beginning, we will both read everything we find, but later in the semester, I will delegate initial evaluation and screening to him. We will share reading notes and other documents via UWM’s Office 365 platform.