Open Access"Cultural acupuncture": Fan activism and the Harry Potter Alliance
Author(s) -
Henry Jenkins
Publication year - 2012
Publication title -
transformative works and cultures
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
ISSN - 1941-2258
DOI - 10.3983/twc.2012.0305
Subject(s) - alliance , harry potter , human rights , economic justice , social justice , sociology , media studies , gender studies , political science , aesthetics , law , art , literature , social science
Fan activists have struggled to defend series from cancellation, defend themselves from cease and desist orders, promote alternative representations, and raise money for charity. Building on this background, this article examines how the Harry Potter Alliance encourages young people to speak out as fans on a broad range of human rights and social justice issues through what the group's leader, Andrew Slack, calls "cultural acupuncture." The group's practice of mapping the fictional content world onto real-world concerns helps empower young people to become civicly engaged and politically active