TY - JOUR
T1 - Transnational cult and/as neoliberalism
T2 - The liminal economies of anime fansubbers
AU - Hills, Matthew
PY - 2017/1/2
Y1 - 2017/1/2
N2 - This article will consider how two contested terms – the ‘transnational’ and ‘cult’ – can be brought into dialogue via a focus on English-language fansubbing labour. Testifying to translation’s ‘transformative’ cultifying capacities, anime fansubbers in the West operate in an imagined space between Japan and the United States. A third space of imagination rather than transnational flow per se becomes vital here. I will expand on this by considering how anime fansubbers’ labour can be conceptualized as liminal, intersecting ‘informal’ and ‘formal’ economies whilst at the same time performing transnational cult as a neoliberal supplement to industry practices. Rather than straightforwardly enacting ‘anti-mainstream’ difference, this imagined space is potentially one of competitive entrepreneurial practice and fan-branding, suggesting that aspects of fansubbing can be aligned with neoliberalism. The implication is that we need to consider transnational cult status more significantly in relation to niche and fan distribution, where both can be commercialized and/or linked to ‘mainstream’ values of branding and entrepreneurialism.
AB - This article will consider how two contested terms – the ‘transnational’ and ‘cult’ – can be brought into dialogue via a focus on English-language fansubbing labour. Testifying to translation’s ‘transformative’ cultifying capacities, anime fansubbers in the West operate in an imagined space between Japan and the United States. A third space of imagination rather than transnational flow per se becomes vital here. I will expand on this by considering how anime fansubbers’ labour can be conceptualized as liminal, intersecting ‘informal’ and ‘formal’ economies whilst at the same time performing transnational cult as a neoliberal supplement to industry practices. Rather than straightforwardly enacting ‘anti-mainstream’ difference, this imagined space is potentially one of competitive entrepreneurial practice and fan-branding, suggesting that aspects of fansubbing can be aligned with neoliberalism. The implication is that we need to consider transnational cult status more significantly in relation to niche and fan distribution, where both can be commercialized and/or linked to ‘mainstream’ values of branding and entrepreneurialism.
KW - Cult media
KW - Fandom
KW - Anime
KW - Fansubbing
UR - https://www.scopus.com/record/display.uri?eid=2-s2.0-84992490726&origin=resultslist&sort=plf-f&src=s&st1=Transnational+cult+and%2fas+neoliberalism%3a+the+liminal+economies+of+anime+fansubbers&st2=&sid=51a9539802ecb0b94ea1577ab6903265&sot=b&sdt=b&sl=97&s=TITLE-ABS-KEY%28Transnational+cult+and%2fas+neoliberalism%3a+the+liminal+economies+of+anime+fansubbers%29&relpos=0&citeCnt=1&searchTerm=
U2 - 10.1080/20403526.2016.1245921
DO - 10.1080/20403526.2016.1245921
M3 - Article
VL - 8
SP - 80
EP - 94
JO - Transnational Screens
JF - Transnational Screens
SN - 2578-5273
IS - 1
ER -