Research project Enchanted Fans! Ecstasy, Escapism, and Hangover
A doctoral research project by Kaly Halkawt Lundström exploring how young people become fans of mainstream queer popular culture, how queer young people form friendships, and how audience practices help them make sense of their lives and find comfort and hope.
The doctoral research project Enchanted Fans! Ecstasy, Escapism and Hangover is an ethnographic study of how young fans of mainstream queer popular culture meet, become involved in fan communities, travel long distances to visit filming locations, or queue for hours to see their favourite actors and performers at various events.
At the same time, the project examines how queer young people form friendships and care for one another, and how, through audience practices such as repeatedly watching favourite scenes, they make sense of their lives, find comfort and hope, or simply enjoy moments of pleasurable viewing.
Through four analytical chapters, the forthcoming monograph explores how encounters with popular culture, from enchantment to disenchantment, become meaningful in the everyday lives of young people.
Principal Supervisor
Professor Rickard Jonsson
Co-supervisor
Professor Fanny Ambjörnsson