The Elementary Structure of Fandom by Abir Misra

The Elementary Structure of Fandom by Abir Misra

This book offers the first comprehensive sociological analysis of a Pan-Indian Fandom with a transnational footprint.

It postulates a sociological definition of ‘Fan’ and ‘Fandom’, something lacking in existing literature to date. It also foregrounds a new theory and definition of ‘Persona’, in addition to substantiating fresh concepts like ‘Access Taboo’, ‘Neutral Reciprocity’, ‘Diglossic Fan Sociality’, ‘Numerocracy’, and ‘Post-Banks’. These concepts and definitions serve to anchor and rejuvenate the Sociology of Fan Cultures, a nascent yet timely field of enquiry. The book revitalises the Structuralist Tradition in Indian Sociology while also illuminating Fandom through a wealth of new perspectives derived from German Idealism, Symbolic Interactionism, Anthropology of Art and Film Semiotics.

This book is an invaluable resource for students and scholars in Sociology, Social and Cultural Anthropology, Political Science, Indology, Media Studies, Digital Humanities, Communication Studies, Culture Studies, Film Studies, Performance Studies, Gender Studies, Arts and Aesthetics, and South Asian Studies, giving fresh insights into the evolving dynamics of Fan Cultures in the Digital Age.

Abir Misra is a Sociologist. He received his PhD from the Department of Sociology, Delhi School of Economics, University of Delhi, India. His interests span Cinema and Fan Culture, Structural Anthropology, Digital Culture, Sociology of Organisations, Anthropology of Numbers, Arts and Aesthetics, Sociology of Religion, and Gender Studies. He is currently developing ‘ShastrArt’ – an Art and Social Science hub in Lucknow-India, and curates video essays on Sociology @PopSocOfficial (YouTube). This is his first book.