[Linganth] Call for Papers, AAA 2026: Fandoms in Flux

[Kira Hall]

Dear all,

I am sending this Call for Papers/Panel Description on behalf of Kate Arnold-Murry <Katherine.Arnold-murray at colorado.edu> and Jacob Henry <Jacob.Henry-1 at colorado.edu>. Please respond directly to them if you are interested in participating in this AAA panel.  Many thanks!  Best, Kira

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Call for Papers - AAA 2026 - Fandoms in Flux: Ethnographic and Linguistic Anthropological Examinations of Fan Communities in Times of Change
November 18-22, 2026
St. Louis, MO
Please see the panel abstract below.

If you are interested in participating as a panelist, discussant, or chair, contact Kate Arnold-Murray at katherine.arnold-murray at colorado.edu<mailto:katherine.arnold-murray at colorado.edu> by Friday, April 24 with a brief statement of interest.

300-word paper abstracts will be due Kate Arnold-Murray by Tuesday, April 28.

Thank you for considering!

Panel Abstract:
Fandoms in Flux: Ethnographic and Linguistic Anthropological Examinations of Fan Communities in Times of Change
Fan studies across both physical and digital ethnographic sites have grappled with various aspects of fan culture such as defining intracommunity criteria of membership (Sandvoss et al. 2017), understanding the role of fan labor in community building (Jenkins 2006, 2009), and the connections between social media, globalization, and global fan communities (Kusuma et al. 2020). Given our increasingly connected technological realities, the barrier separating “fan identity” from other socially salient identities is becoming ever more permeable. Thus, fandoms as sites of anthropological inquiry present a vital opportunity for examining the ways in which social actors move through layers of communities, always engaged in related or contradictory circles of discourse. From a methodological perspective, studies revolving around fan communities can shed new light on ethnographic theory and practice by examining the practices of entirely voluntary communities that gather across physical and digital spaces, are not necessarily bound to a uniform history, and are constantly evolving due to changes in membership or the foundational fan object/artist.
This panel will examine the specific advantages that an (auto)ethnographic lens with a focus on frameworks from linguistics and linguistic anthropology can bring to our understanding of fandoms, with special attention to how they shift and transform in reaction to (or accordance with) broader mainstream sociopolitical phenomena. In understanding fan cultures as intrinsically linked to broader patterns of discourse, this panel elucidates how various fandoms respond to a mainstream world that is always “on the verge” of potentially disruptive change.  By turning an analytic lens to specific linguistic and semiotic practices, we will shed further light on the ways in which fan studies can help our understanding of social life by combining insights from different fan communities (e.g., sports fandoms, fandoms of musical artists, political fandoms, gaming fandoms, etc.) and discussing our various ethnographic approaches.





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Kira Hall (she)
Chair and Distinguished Professor, Department of Linguistics<https://www.colorado.edu/linguistics/>

University of Colorado Boulder
Director, Program in Culture, Language, and Social Practice (CLASP)<https://www.colorado.edu/program/clasp/>

Co-editor, Gender and Language<https://utppublishing.com/journal/gl>



Office hours:  T 2-3pm on zoom; W 2-3pm 241 Hellems (sign-up required)

Office hour sign-up: https://calendly.com/kira-hall-1

Zoom room: https://cuboulder.zoom.us/my/kirahall


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