Rosalind Maria Hanmer

Understanding Lesbian Fandom:: Xena:warrior Princess Lesbian Internet Fans Rosalind Maria Hanmer

This is a vivid piece of qualitative research that introduces a new discourse in lesbian fandom using a hybrid methodology of queer bricolage. It explores the use and application of a lesbian Internet fan site whose members are historical followers of an innovative television series. Virtual lesbian fan communities such as the one investigated in this book have radicalised lesbian identity through social networking and the reading and writing of lesbian fan fiction narratives. This work explores new approaches towards lesbian fandom suggesting that lesbians adopt and adapt the Internet as an empowering tool to enhance their identities and support each other in a virtual and real environment. They do this by continuing to write lesbian fan fiction a decade after the television series that drew them together terminated. The book details interviews and has sections relating to examples of fan fiction reading and writing. This book provides a tool for qualitative researchers drawing on both social science and humanities allowing students to make informed choices while pointing out the alternatives available to them.