Luke Cage: A Marvel Take on Black History
By Astrid Countee “Only Forward,” that is the message of Netflix’s latest superhero show, Luke Cage. A message that seems to have shown up just in time for…
Tag: Study of geek culture
“Everyone’s Fun is Different:” A Conversation with Gabriel De Los Angeles
Nick here: I had the honor of meeting Gabriel at the Popular Culture Association / American Culture Association meeting earlier this year, where he presented on the phenomenon…
It’s In the Cards: Narratives and Storytelling in Magic: The Gathering
By Steven Dashiell Gaming isn’t the focus of my research, but I’ve participated in it since I was 13 years old, the first day I bought a…
Notes From the Field: Dwelling in the Worlds that Carry Us
After some field work in northern Canada, Marie-Pierre wrote two articles about how her field work experiences connected with imagined worlds. You should go read them, because they’re…
(Almost) Anthro Blogging 101: Lady Science
In this edition of Blogging 101, we’re featuring Lady Science, a blog and publication started by Anna Reser and Leila McNeill. Anthropology and geek culture also involves studies…
No One’s Laughing: The Killing Joke Still Doesn’t Do Justice to Barbara Gordon
*Trigger Warning: This piece discusses rape and sexual violence. Alan Moore’s 1988 graphic novel Batman: The Killing Joke is perhaps one of the bleakest stories in the DC…
Con-Men: Understanding the Gendered Language of the Comic Book Convention
By Steven Dashiell Featured image based on an Creative Commons image by GabboT. I can clearly remember my first time ever going to a comic book convention. It…
Consumption, Performance and Identity in Cosplay
By Emma Louise Backe Every year, hundreds of thousands of fans congregate at conventions like San Diego’s Comic Con, Atlanta’s Dragon Con and Emerald City Comic Con, to…
The Games! They’re Alive!
A few weeks ago I had the opportunity to participate in the Living Games Conference in Austin, Texas. Living Games, which started in 2014 at the NYU Game…
The Politics of Peace in Captain America: Civil War
By Emma Louise Backe Marvel’s latest superhero juggernaut, Captain America: Civil War (2016) is a tense, tightly paced skirmish. The camera skitters between the ideological poles of Tony…
Game of Spoilers: A Spoiler-Free Investigation into the Role of Experience in Fandom
By Emily Jackson After surviving the long winter, fans of the HBO hit series Game of Thrones celebrated the premiere of season 6 this Sunday, April 24th. The…
A Geek’s Guide to the 2016 PCA/ACA Conference
By Emma Louise Backe This week, Nick Mizer and I will be headed out to Seattle, Washington to attend the annual PCA/ACA Conference. Popular culture itself is a…
Ghosts in the Machine: Supernatural Podcasts and the Resurgence of Radio Horror
By Emma Louise Backe The problem of nostalgia has become a common refrain among pop culture critics. Many claimed that The Force Awakens’ success could be almost entirely…
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…
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…
And Still the World Pursued–The Management of Waste in Max Mad: Fury Road
By Emma Louise Backe Where must we go, we who wander this wasteland, in search of our better selves.” -The First History Man What are the roots that…
Data and the Anthropologist: Could you be using your anthropology skills in a more data centric role?
By Astrid Countee When people think of quantitative analytics, big data, and statistics, they rarely picture an anthropologist. The truth is that although our discipline is well known…
The Many Roles of Popular Culture in Therapy
By Peter Olthoff As many therapists will tell you, if you cannot build rapport with the client, if you cannot establish a solid therapeutic relationship, then you simply…
The Character of Sexual Harassment at Cons
By Emma Louise Backe At an event where hundreds of individuals from around the country converge in capes and costumes, the symbols and trappings of heroism, we don’t…
Why I Love the Popular Culture Association
When I first started my research on role-playing games about seven(!) years ago, it felt a bit lonely. My professors and colleagues were supportive but didn’t really know…