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COSPLAY IN CHINA: POPULAR CULTURE AND YOUTH COMMUNITY

Wang, Kanzhi (2010)
Centre for East and South-East Asian Studies, Lund University
Abstract
In China, cosplay, which is originated for Japan’s costume play, has not simply played as another role of pop culture, but it has represented its unprecedented influence among those youngsters to the public with the form of cosplayers’ association. By raising the questions that “why it is so popular” and “why youngsters devote themselves to this cultural activity”, the research is to contribute to studies on youth culture in China. Based on observation of a typical cosplayers’ association in Hangzhou, the following issues will be examined. Why cosplay is the particular pop culture that draw young people’s attention? How and why youngsters gather together and form such organizations as “Cosplayers’ association”? Based on the character of... (More)
In China, cosplay, which is originated for Japan’s costume play, has not simply played as another role of pop culture, but it has represented its unprecedented influence among those youngsters to the public with the form of cosplayers’ association. By raising the questions that “why it is so popular” and “why youngsters devote themselves to this cultural activity”, the research is to contribute to studies on youth culture in China. Based on observation of a typical cosplayers’ association in Hangzhou, the following issues will be examined. Why cosplay is the particular pop culture that draw young people’s attention? How and why youngsters gather together and form such organizations as “Cosplayers’ association”? Based on the character of the central topic, the main approach of this research focuses on qualitative methods, particularly case study and focus group. The intensive interviews and participant observations are the main source of the primary data, while phone interviews and
online interviews are the accessorial proof. The result of this research shows the factbthat both their interests and social pressure driven the young generation into the culture of cosplay while cosplay gives them a way of expressing their desire and choice of life. And with people who share the same interests, the awareness of
self-identity is raised, thus the interest-driven gathering becomes a structural organization, cosplayers’ association. In a profit-dominated society with heavy regulations such as current China, a youth culture like this, eventually gathers more and more people and becomes their last shelter from this cruel world. (Less)
Please use this url to cite or link to this publication:
author
Wang, Kanzhi
supervisor
organization
year
type
H2 - Master's Degree (Two Years)
subject
keywords
cosplay, globalization, ACG, cosplayer association, Chinese youth, social identity
language
English
id
1698210
date added to LUP
2010-10-21 15:21:41
date last changed
2010-10-21 15:21:41
@misc{1698210,
  abstract     = {{In China, cosplay, which is originated for Japan’s costume play, has not simply played as another role of pop culture, but it has represented its unprecedented influence among those youngsters to the public with the form of cosplayers’ association. By raising the questions that “why it is so popular” and “why youngsters devote themselves to this cultural activity”, the research is to contribute to studies on youth culture in China. Based on observation of a typical cosplayers’ association in Hangzhou, the following issues will be examined. Why cosplay is the particular pop culture that draw young people’s attention? How and why youngsters gather together and form such organizations as “Cosplayers’ association”? Based on the character of the central topic, the main approach of this research focuses on qualitative methods, particularly case study and focus group. The intensive interviews and participant observations are the main source of the primary data, while phone interviews and
online interviews are the accessorial proof. The result of this research shows the factbthat both their interests and social pressure driven the young generation into the culture of cosplay while cosplay gives them a way of expressing their desire and choice of life. And with people who share the same interests, the awareness of
self-identity is raised, thus the interest-driven gathering becomes a structural organization, cosplayers’ association. In a profit-dominated society with heavy regulations such as current China, a youth culture like this, eventually gathers more and more people and becomes their last shelter from this cruel world.}},
  author       = {{Wang,  Kanzhi}},
  language     = {{eng}},
  note         = {{Student Paper}},
  title        = {{COSPLAY IN CHINA: POPULAR CULTURE AND YOUTH COMMUNITY}},
  year         = {{2010}},
}