Rise of the Otaku: investigating the anime fandom in South Africa.
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Abstract
This ethnographic research project is an empirical investigation into the nature of the anime
subculture and the practices of its fans (popularly known as ‘otaku’ in Japanese culture) in South
Africa. Subcultural theory was used to outline the key characteristics of a typical subculture. My
work has drawn heavily from Paul Hodkinson’s (2002) interesting attempt to combine the theoretical
strengths of both ‘traditional’ subcultural theories and their post-modern critiques. Resisting the
post-modern tendency to see subcultures as ephemeral and fluid, Hodkinson outlines four key
elements that define a grouping of people as having sub-cultural substance: autonomy, identity,
consistent distinctiveness and commitment. In order to introduce, explore, and investigate the
practices of the anime fandom in South Africa, I have made extensive use of these four subcultural
characteristics. Henry Jenkins and John Fiske’s seminal work on fandom and fan studies will be
useful in this paper as I shall be attempting to understand how and why fans in South Africa enjoy
and relate to anime. While utilising the testimonies of otaku, this thesis is also self-reflexive, and
places my fandom within the context of cultural studies research, in order to provide a more indepth
investigation.
Description
M.A. University of KwaZulu-Natal, Durban [2015].
Keywords
Animated films--Japan., Information technology--Social aspects., Fans (Persons), Animation (Cinematography)--Japan., Comic books, strips, etc.--Japan., Theses--Media and cultural studies., Cyberculture.