A Fan Among Fans: Ethnography from the Insider’s Perspective

• In Event: Scholar to Scholar VII
  In Paper Session: Researcher as In-Outer: How does one declare insider or outsider status in ethnographic research?

Abstract

My ethnographic research focused on Star Wars costumers as an identifiable, active audience connected to the industry as well as their communities. As a Star Wars fan myself, I was enthusiastic about immersing myself into this culture, but I was also concerned about negotiating my roles as both observer and participant. This presentation outlines some of the overriding issues involved with producing this type of ethnography in terms of objectivity, validity, and justification.

Author

• Dava Simpson, University of South Florida