Commitment to Freedom: A Fannish Struggle for the Representativeness of Political Identities

Purpose  The aim of the current study is to investigate how fans behave towards the greater introduction of political identities in pop culture.

Theoretical framework  The idea of consumption as an identity-building instrument, the growing discussions on political identities and the emergence of the entertainment industry as an arena for consumer resistance are associated with each other.

Design/methodology/approach  Foucauldian archeogenealogy was applied to the online forum called TheForce.net.

Findings  Militancy and sympathy were identified as moral agencies of consumers. Despite their uniqueness, they show commitment to freedom and indicate how fans see the representativeness of political identities as a continuous struggle vis-à-vis dominant ideological forces.

Practical & social implications of research  Foucauldian analysis and interpretation allow us to discuss the ethical articulation produced by fans as a social commitment. This is a fan culture response to the recent inclusion of representativeness in the entertainment industry. Thus, the current research provides the basis to think about the applications and potential consolidation of ethical productions in CCT investigations.

Originality/Value  Foucault’s theory about the constitution of the moral subject was adopted here to analyze consumption as a practice aligned to the growing demand for representativeness in the entertainment industry.

Keywords:
Subjectivity; political identity; pop culture; archeogenealogy; Star Wars