2019 in Review: Hopepunk
By Emma Louise Backe Avengers: Infinity War (2018)—the penultimate movie in the Avengers Marvel franchise—ended in defeat, the assorted heroes unable to stop Thanos from using the Infinity…
Tag: Star Wars
Twisted and Evil: Ableism in Star Wars
By Cindee Calton “Seriously, Star Wars? Again?” was the exact phrase that ran through my mind the first time Dryden Vos appeared on screen during my first viewing…
When Science Fiction meets Religion: The Case of Jediism
By Maria Menegaki Based on the paper ‘When Science Fiction meets Religion: The Case of Jediism’ which I presented in Piran, Slovenia in 2015 in terms of the…
Are You Not Entertained: TGA’s Favorite 2016 Movies, Television & Media
In 2015, mainstream geek culture began to emerge as more than simply a popular and bankable enterprise–throughout the year, creative projects in the genre provided models of diversity…
Get Excited and Buy Things
By Nicholas Mizer Around the time I first met Marie-Pierre and joined up with TGA I was trying to develop an understanding of what someone is likely to…
May The Fourth Be with You!
How do anthropologists celebrate May the 4th? By reading anthropological articles of course! Head over to Anthropology News to read May The Folk be With You, a piece on…
May the Folk Be With You
In 1979, on the eve of Margaret Thatcher’s first UK general election victory, an advertisement appeared in London’s The Evening News. Paid for by the party, the half-page…
Popular Culture Courses for Anthropology
In Part Two of an ongoing series, Leah McCurdy (University of Texas, San Antonio) provides an overview of how popular culture can be integrated into the university classroom. Last…
Fan Activism and the 501st Legion: Be the Change You Wish to see in the Galaxy
By Emily Jackson It may seem like a long time ago now, but think back to this past December. One of the greatest things to happen, besides the…
Looking Back and Looking Ahead
Looking back on our goals for 2015, you might notice that we didn’t exactly keep up with our objectives. What happened? Which brings me to another questions you…
Storytelling and Worldbuilding in The Force Awakens
By Nicholas Mizer Last month Salon posted an insightful article by Gerry Canavan, an assistant professor of English at Marquette University. Canavan talks about similarities between Star Wars:…
2015 in Review: Geek Girls and Gender
By Emma Louise Backe For several years, TGA founder Marie-Pierre has been conducting research on the fraudulent phenomenon of “fake geek girls,” a category of women who ostensibly…