{"id":1140033,"date":"2023-07-18T10:34:34","date_gmt":"2023-07-18T10:34:34","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/c4aa.org\/?p=123485"},"modified":"2023-07-18T10:34:34","modified_gmt":"2023-07-18T10:34:34","slug":"fan-activism-pop-culture-civic-engagement","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/radiofree.asia\/2023\/07\/18\/fan-activism-pop-culture-civic-engagement\/","title":{"rendered":"FAN Activism: Pop Culture + Civic Engagement"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\"><img data-attachment-id=\"123486\" data-permalink=\"https:\/\/c4aa.org\/2023\/07\/fan-activism-pop-culture-civic-engagement\/revactivism-fans-for-web-01\" data-orig-file=\"https:\/\/c4aa.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/07\/RevActivism-FANS-for-Web-01.jpg\" data-orig-size=\"1128,635\" data-comments-opened=\"0\" data-image-meta=\"{&quot;aperture&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;credit&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;camera&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;caption&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;created_timestamp&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;copyright&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;focal_length&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;iso&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;shutter_speed&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;title&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;orientation&quot;:&quot;0&quot;}\" data-image-title=\"RevActivism-FANS-for-Web-01\" data-image-description=\"\" data-image-caption=\"\" data-medium-file=\"https:\/\/c4aa.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/07\/RevActivism-FANS-for-Web-01-580x327.jpg\" data-large-file=\"https:\/\/c4aa.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/07\/RevActivism-FANS-for-Web-01.jpg\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1128\" height=\"635\" src=\"https:\/\/c4aa.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/07\/RevActivism-FANS-for-Web-01.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-123486\" srcset=\"https:\/\/c4aa.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/07\/RevActivism-FANS-for-Web-01.jpg 1128w, https:\/\/c4aa.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/07\/RevActivism-FANS-for-Web-01-580x327.jpg 580w, https:\/\/c4aa.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/07\/RevActivism-FANS-for-Web-01-768x432.jpg 768w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1128px) 100vw, 1128px\" \/><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Imagine if all the fervor and passion that people have felt for Harry Potter, Bollywood stars, or Marvel movies were applied to activism.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>This week, we\u2019re sharing our latest <strong>Revolutionizing Activism<\/strong> conversations, this time with fan culture experts who have fantastic insights into lessons we can use for social change. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Read on for our favorite takeaways and videos<\/strong> and check Part 1 and 2 of our series.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-columns is-layout-flex wp-container-3\">\n<div class=\"wp-block-column is-layout-flow\">\n<figure class=\"wp-block-embed is-type-video is-provider-youtube wp-block-embed-youtube wp-embed-aspect-16-9 wp-has-aspect-ratio\"><div class=\"wp-block-embed__wrapper\">\n<iframe loading=\"lazy\" class=\"youtube-player\" width=\"640\" height=\"360\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/3aTQkscvRfk?version=3&#038;rel=1&%23038;showsearch=0&%23038;showinfo=1&%23038;iv_load_policy=1&%23038;fs=1&%23038;hl=en-US&%23038;autohide=2&%23038;wmode=transparent\" allowfullscreen=\"true\" style=\"border:0;\" sandbox=\"allow-scripts allow-same-origin allow-popups allow-presentation\"><\/iframe>\n<\/div><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">FANS (Part 1)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-column is-layout-flow\">\n<figure class=\"wp-block-embed is-type-video is-provider-youtube wp-block-embed-youtube wp-embed-aspect-16-9 wp-has-aspect-ratio\"><div class=\"wp-block-embed__wrapper\">\n<iframe loading=\"lazy\" class=\"youtube-player\" width=\"640\" height=\"360\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/jIWdVJPwqEE?version=3&#038;rel=1&%23038;showsearch=0&%23038;showinfo=1&%23038;iv_load_policy=1&%23038;fs=1&%23038;hl=en-US&%23038;autohide=2&%23038;wmode=transparent\" allowfullscreen=\"true\" style=\"border:0;\" sandbox=\"allow-scripts allow-same-origin allow-popups allow-presentation\"><\/iframe>\n<\/div><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">FANS (Part 2)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading is-style-c4aa-clipPath-heading\" id=\"harry-potter-in-the-real-world\">Harry Potter in the real world<\/h2>\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\"><img data-attachment-id=\"123487\" data-permalink=\"https:\/\/c4aa.org\/2023\/07\/fan-activism-pop-culture-civic-engagement\/revactivism-fans-for-web-02\" data-orig-file=\"https:\/\/c4aa.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/07\/RevActivism-FANS-for-Web-02.jpg\" data-orig-size=\"1128,635\" data-comments-opened=\"0\" data-image-meta=\"{&quot;aperture&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;credit&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;camera&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;caption&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;created_timestamp&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;copyright&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;focal_length&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;iso&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;shutter_speed&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;title&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;orientation&quot;:&quot;0&quot;}\" data-image-title=\"RevActivism-FANS-for-Web-02\" data-image-description=\"\" data-image-caption=\"\" data-medium-file=\"https:\/\/c4aa.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/07\/RevActivism-FANS-for-Web-02-580x327.jpg\" data-large-file=\"https:\/\/c4aa.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/07\/RevActivism-FANS-for-Web-02.jpg\" decoding=\"async\" loading=\"lazy\" width=\"1128\" height=\"635\" src=\"https:\/\/c4aa.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/07\/RevActivism-FANS-for-Web-02.jpg\" alt=\"Harry Potter main characters screaming and a quote\" class=\"wp-image-123487\" srcset=\"https:\/\/c4aa.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/07\/RevActivism-FANS-for-Web-02.jpg 1128w, https:\/\/c4aa.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/07\/RevActivism-FANS-for-Web-02-580x327.jpg 580w, https:\/\/c4aa.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/07\/RevActivism-FANS-for-Web-02-768x432.jpg 768w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1128px) 100vw, 1128px\" \/><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p><br>After reading <strong>Harry Potter,<\/strong> Andrew Slack couldn\u2019t help but observe how strong the books\u2019 fan community was: \u201cpodcasts, fan fiction, conferences, and so many different interesting things that were happening.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>However, Slack found it frustrating that few of these fan spaces made a direct connection between Harry Potter and activism: \u201cIf Harry Potter wrote our world, he would do more than simply celebrate how awesome it is. He would fight for justice in our world the way he fought for justice in his.\u201d Click here to listen for how Slack founded the Harry Potter Alliance (now Fandom Forward) to do just that.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><\/p>\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading is-style-c4aa-clipPath-heading\" id=\"bollywood-fans-take-it-one-step-further\">Bollywood fans take it one step further<\/h2>\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\"><img data-attachment-id=\"123488\" data-permalink=\"https:\/\/c4aa.org\/2023\/07\/fan-activism-pop-culture-civic-engagement\/revactivism-fans-for-web-03\" data-orig-file=\"https:\/\/c4aa.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/07\/RevActivism-FANS-for-Web-03.jpg\" data-orig-size=\"1128,635\" data-comments-opened=\"0\" data-image-meta=\"{&quot;aperture&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;credit&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;camera&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;caption&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;created_timestamp&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;copyright&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;focal_length&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;iso&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;shutter_speed&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;title&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;orientation&quot;:&quot;0&quot;}\" data-image-title=\"RevActivism-FANS-for-Web-03\" data-image-description=\"\" data-image-caption=\"\" data-medium-file=\"https:\/\/c4aa.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/07\/RevActivism-FANS-for-Web-03-580x327.jpg\" data-large-file=\"https:\/\/c4aa.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/07\/RevActivism-FANS-for-Web-03.jpg\" decoding=\"async\" loading=\"lazy\" width=\"1128\" height=\"635\" src=\"https:\/\/c4aa.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/07\/RevActivism-FANS-for-Web-03.jpg\" alt=\"Bollywood dancers and a quote\" class=\"wp-image-123488\" srcset=\"https:\/\/c4aa.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/07\/RevActivism-FANS-for-Web-03.jpg 1128w, https:\/\/c4aa.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/07\/RevActivism-FANS-for-Web-03-580x327.jpg 580w, https:\/\/c4aa.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/07\/RevActivism-FANS-for-Web-03-768x432.jpg 768w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1128px) 100vw, 1128px\" \/><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p><br><strong>So how do we move from just talking about how much we love something and translating that love into action? <\/strong>Sangita Shresthova highlights how college student Bollywood dance competitions\u2013where students remix dance moves from Bollywood films and then compete\u2014can manifest fandom into strong political statements.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Click here for Shresthova\u2019s story about a competition where college students remixed different Bollywood dances into a narrative about a young man who comes out as gay. Shresthova notes this had never been seen before in the genre and influenced important discussions in the South Asian community.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><\/p>\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading is-style-c4aa-clipPath-heading\" id=\"fan-activism-is-all-about-cultural-dreamwork\">Fan activism is all about cultural dreamwork<\/h2>\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-embed is-type-video is-provider-youtube wp-block-embed-youtube wp-embed-aspect-16-9 wp-has-aspect-ratio\"><div class=\"wp-block-embed__wrapper\">\n<iframe loading=\"lazy\" class=\"youtube-player\" width=\"640\" height=\"360\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/7OT7MiwuN3I?version=3&#038;rel=1&%23038;showsearch=0&%23038;showinfo=1&%23038;iv_load_policy=1&%23038;fs=1&%23038;hl=en-US&%23038;autohide=2&%23038;wmode=transparent\" allowfullscreen=\"true\" style=\"border:0;\" sandbox=\"allow-scripts allow-same-origin allow-popups allow-presentation\"><\/iframe>\n<\/div><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Harry Potter Fans Win Against Child Slavery<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Andrew Slack would disagree that fantasy is about escaping from our world. <\/strong>Rather Slack believes fantasy is \u201can invitation to go deeper into it. We dream at night, but our books, TV shows, movies, musicals, comics, and video games\u2014that is our culture dreaming. And when we&#8217;re working with those cultural dreams, we&#8217;re doing cultural dream work.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>So how can you make use of fan stories? Slack and Shresthova share two principles: cultural acupuncture and civic imagination.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><\/p>\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading is-style-c4aa-clipPath-heading\" id=\"what-is-cultural-acupuncture\">What is cultural acupuncture?<\/h2>\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\"><img data-attachment-id=\"123490\" data-permalink=\"https:\/\/c4aa.org\/2023\/07\/fan-activism-pop-culture-civic-engagement\/revactivism-fans-for-web-04\" data-orig-file=\"https:\/\/c4aa.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/07\/RevActivism-FANS-for-Web-04.png\" data-orig-size=\"1128,635\" data-comments-opened=\"0\" data-image-meta=\"{&quot;aperture&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;credit&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;camera&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;caption&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;created_timestamp&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;copyright&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;focal_length&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;iso&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;shutter_speed&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;title&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;orientation&quot;:&quot;0&quot;}\" data-image-title=\"RevActivism-FANS-for-Web-04\" data-image-description=\"\" data-image-caption=\"\" data-medium-file=\"https:\/\/c4aa.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/07\/RevActivism-FANS-for-Web-04-580x327.png\" data-large-file=\"https:\/\/c4aa.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/07\/RevActivism-FANS-for-Web-04.png\" decoding=\"async\" loading=\"lazy\" width=\"1128\" height=\"635\" src=\"https:\/\/c4aa.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/07\/RevActivism-FANS-for-Web-04.png\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-123490\" srcset=\"https:\/\/c4aa.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/07\/RevActivism-FANS-for-Web-04.png 1128w, https:\/\/c4aa.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/07\/RevActivism-FANS-for-Web-04-580x327.png 580w, https:\/\/c4aa.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/07\/RevActivism-FANS-for-Web-04-768x432.png 768w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1128px) 100vw, 1128px\" \/><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Andrew Slack notes that \u201ccultural acupuncture is about finding where the energy is in the culture and moving that energy authentically to create a healthier body for our world.\u201d <\/strong>For Slack the big question is: What is the big story? Slack observes three elements that enact social movements: ritual, myth, and community, and that \u201cbeing a fan activist is about activating those three things.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>He also draws our attention to the Civil Rights Movement as an example of a social movement that enacted ritual, myth, and community to make a change.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-text-align-center has-caa-yellow-background-color has-background\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/watch?v=jIWdVJPwqEE&amp;t=523s\"  rel=\"noreferrer noopener\"><em>Listen for more about cultural acupuncture<\/em><\/a><\/p>\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"what-is-civic-imagination\">What is civic imagination?<\/h2>\n\n\n<p>It\u2019s impossible to talk about activism without talking about imagination. Sangita Shresthova, notes that when she and her colleagues at the Civic Imagination Project were studying young people\u2019s use of digital media and pop culture to organize around civic issues, they observed a lot of \u201cthese movements were using a participatory mode of storytelling to imagine their movement into being,\u201d and they were also using their imagination to understand who their community was. They were able to use their imagination to develop a \u201ccollective vision for what a better tomorrow might look like.\u201d <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-text-align-center has-caa-yellow-background-color has-background\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.civicimaginationproject.org\/\"  rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Learn how to utilize civic imagination here.<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading is-style-c4aa-clipPath-heading\" id=\"dig-into-season-2-of-revolutionizing-activism\">Dig into Season 2 of Revolutionizing Activism<\/h2>\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/playlist?list=PLnQvazUVAnkYHJv20jEijsljaDa6OeRXX\"><img data-attachment-id=\"123491\" data-permalink=\"https:\/\/c4aa.org\/2023\/07\/fan-activism-pop-culture-civic-engagement\/revactivism-fans-for-web-05\" data-orig-file=\"https:\/\/c4aa.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/07\/RevActivism-FANS-for-Web-05.jpg\" data-orig-size=\"1128,635\" data-comments-opened=\"0\" data-image-meta=\"{&quot;aperture&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;credit&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;camera&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;caption&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;created_timestamp&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;copyright&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;focal_length&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;iso&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;shutter_speed&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;title&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;orientation&quot;:&quot;0&quot;}\" data-image-title=\"RevActivism-FANS-for-Web-05\" data-image-description=\"\" data-image-caption=\"\" data-medium-file=\"https:\/\/c4aa.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/07\/RevActivism-FANS-for-Web-05-580x327.jpg\" data-large-file=\"https:\/\/c4aa.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/07\/RevActivism-FANS-for-Web-05.jpg\" decoding=\"async\" loading=\"lazy\" width=\"1128\" height=\"635\" src=\"https:\/\/c4aa.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/07\/RevActivism-FANS-for-Web-05.jpg\" alt=\"Dig into Season 2 of Revolutionizing Activism\" class=\"wp-image-123491\" srcset=\"https:\/\/c4aa.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/07\/RevActivism-FANS-for-Web-05.jpg 1128w, https:\/\/c4aa.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/07\/RevActivism-FANS-for-Web-05-580x327.jpg 580w, https:\/\/c4aa.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/07\/RevActivism-FANS-for-Web-05-768x432.jpg 768w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1128px) 100vw, 1128px\" \/><\/a><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Dig into Season 2 of Revolutionizing Activism<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Looking for inspiration, curious about how other activists, artists, and cultural practitioners have used artistic activism to make an impact?<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/playlist?list=PLnQvazUVAnkYHJv20jEijsljaDa6OeRXX\">Watch all six episodes of the latest season of Revolutionizing Activism<\/a> and be sure to let us in the comment section any lingering questions you have or which topics you\u2019d like to see us discuss more in the future!<\/p>\n<p>The post <a rel=\"nofollow\" href=\"https:\/\/c4aa.org\/2023\/07\/fan-activism-pop-culture-civic-engagement\">FAN Activism: Pop Culture + Civic Engagement<\/a> appeared first on <a rel=\"nofollow\" href=\"https:\/\/c4aa.org\/\">The Center for Artistic Activism<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n<p class=\"syndicated-attribution\">This post was originally published on <a href=\"https:\/\/c4aa.org\/2023\/07\/fan-activism-pop-culture-civic-engagement\">News Archives - The Center for Artistic Activism<\/a>. <\/p>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Imagine if all the fervor and passion that people have felt for Harry Potter, Bollywood stars, or Marvel movies were applied to activism. This week, we\u2019re sharing our latest Revolutionizing Activism conversations, this time with fan culture experts who have fantastic insights into lessons we can use for social change. Read on for our favorite \u2026 <\/p>\n<p class=\"link-more\"><a href=\"https:\/\/c4aa.org\/2023\/07\/fan-activism-pop-culture-civic-engagement\" class=\"more-link\">Continue reading<span class=\"screen-reader-text\"> &#8220;FAN Activism: Pop Culture + Civic Engagement&#8221;<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n<p>The post <a rel=\"nofollow\" href=\"https:\/\/c4aa.org\/2023\/07\/fan-activism-pop-culture-civic-engagement\">FAN Activism: Pop Culture + Civic Engagement<\/a> appeared first on <a rel=\"nofollow\" href=\"https:\/\/c4aa.org\/\">The Center for Artistic Activism<\/a>.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":859,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[4],"tags":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/radiofree.asia\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1140033"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/radiofree.asia\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/radiofree.asia\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/radiofree.asia\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/859"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/radiofree.asia\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=1140033"}],"version-history":[{"count":19,"href":"https:\/\/radiofree.asia\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1140033\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":1385921,"href":"https:\/\/radiofree.asia\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1140033\/revisions\/1385921"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/radiofree.asia\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=1140033"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/radiofree.asia\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=1140033"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/radiofree.asia\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=1140033"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}