We the Fandom: Applying Fandom Theory to the Academic Archers Dum Tee Dum Mash Up Weekend 2023 - Caroline Birks

Welcome to the fifth series in the annual podcast programme from Academic Archers, bringing you papers from our 2024 conference.

Please note: the sound quality on this recording is not as clear as usual. We apologise for this and thank you for your understanding.

This episode explores fandom theory, participatory culture, and how these ideas came alive at the Academic Archers Dum Tee Dum Mash Up weekend in 2023.

We the Fandom: Applying Fandom Theory to the Academic Archers Dum Tee Dum Mash Up Weekend 2023 - Caroline Birks

Henry Jenkins’s theory of participatory culture highlights how digital technologies enable audiences to share information, create, and circulate fan works. At the 2023 Birmingham Mash Up weekend, Caroline saw this in action.

Examples include fan appropriation through fanfiction, with eroticised predictions of Chelsea and Freddie, moral realignments like Alan’s disapproval of the church window, refocalisations centring minor characters and even trees, and recontextualisations such as panels on men’s mental health. Fan creativity also extended to craft, with works made for and during the event.

The weekend also illustrated Jenkins’s concept of audience–producer convergence. Attendees engaged with producers and podcasters, from DumTeeDum’s singalong to One Stiletto in the Grave, as well as presentations revealing the soundscape of The Archers. Social media, especially the Sunday Tweetalong, showcased how fans circulate and distribute their work.

Finally, Caroline considers Jenkins’s optimism that fandom and digital technology can effect wider social change. The joy of shared fandom, and the charitable fundraising at these gatherings, demonstrates the power of fan communities to create connection and do good.

About the speaker

• Caroline Birks is a writer and researcher with a focus on fandom culture. She has a chapter in Fandom Culture and The Archers and has long explored how communities of fans create meaning and connection through shared storytelling.

If you enjoy our work and would like to support Academic Archers, you can Buy Us a Coffee – buymeacoffee.com/academicarchers.