Description
Book SynopsisThe first academic study of the phenomenon of The Archers fandom from the fans themselves. The fourth instalment in the Academic Archers collection, Fandom Culture and The Archers looks beyond the popular success of the Archers to explore how the program, and the themes it discusses, are used in teaching, learning, research and professional settings, and how the Academic Archers fandom helps shape these real life impacts.
The chapters explore first the nature of Archers fandom, looking at how academic fans of the show have translated the storylines and issues discussed into theoretical tools, exploring topics from therapy, to the evolution of listening to the show in the digital age. The authors then turn their attention to the use of The Archers in educational and professional settings, exploring its use in both formal educational settings, and in community-led art projects, as well as the show’s engagement with and potential impact on feminism.
Providing the reader with increased insight on the impact of the Archers beyond popular culture, Fandom Culture and The Archers is essential reading for fans of the show and fandom and cultural studies scholars alike.
Table of ContentsIntroduction: On Being and Doing Academic Archers; Nicola Headlam and Cara Courage
Section One. Practice into Theory: Fandom Informing the Academy
Chapter 1. Fans, Flouncers, Fundamentalists: Understanding Online Archers Fan Cultures; Claire Astbury
Chapter 2. When the Script Hits the Fan: Why Archers fans stop listening (and why they can't completely keep away); Sarah Kate Merry
Chapter 3. Archers Fandom and the Online Public Sphere; Elizabeth Anne Bailey
Chapter 4. Cult and Culture: Transformative Fandom-de dum de dum de dum; Helen Burrows
Chapter 5. Gauging Guerrilla Engagement: The Unexpected Benefits of the Academic Archers Conference; Carenza Lewis
Chapter 6. When the Programme Leaves the Fans; Katharine Hoskyn
Chapter 7. It’s Saturday, It must be the Archers!; Saturday Academic Archers Group aka The Saturday Group
Section Two. Fandom in Action: Real Life Application of Fandom
Chapter 8. A Year in Ambridge: Introducing American Students to English Village Culture through The Archers; Timothy Vercellotti
Chapter 9. Teaching The Archers – Creating New Fans or Turning them off?; Caroline Birks
Chapter 10. They Needed Counselling?; Karen Pollock
Chapter 11. Airing Abuse in Ambridge: Is The Archers a Forum for Feminism?; Isobel Duxfield
Chapter 12. Crowd-sourcing Material Culture: A History of Ambridge in 100 Objects; Felicity Macdonald-Smith
Chapter 13. The View from Lakey Hill: How The Archers Empowers, Liberates and Enables Listeners who are Blind; Laura Smith
