"Write the story you want to read": world-queering through slash fanfiction creation. Issue 4 (4th April 2020)

• Record Type: Journal Article
• Authors: Floegel, Diana
• Is Part Of: Journal of documentation. Volume 76:Issue 4(2020)
• Page Start: 785
• Page End: 805
• Publication Date: 2020-04-04
• Subjects: Queer -- Information creation -- Slash fanfiction -- Constructivist grounded theory -- Qualitative methods -- Information practices; Documentation -- Periodicals; Library science -- Periodicals; 025
• DOI: 10.1108/JD-11-2019-0217
• Languages: English
• ISSNs: 0022-0418

Abstract

Abstract : Purpose: This pilot study explores how queer slash fanfiction writers reorient cis/heteronormative entertainment media (EM) content to create queer information worlds. Design/methodology/approach: Constructivist grounded theory was employed to explore queer individuals' slash fanfiction reading and creation practices. Slash fanfiction refers to fan-written texts that recast cis/heteronormative content with queer characters, relationships, and themes. Theoretical sampling drove ten semi-structured interviews with queer slash writers and content analysis of both Captain America slash and material features found on two online fanfiction platforms, Archive of Our Own and fanfiction.net. "Queer" serves as a theoretical lens through which to explore non-cis/heteronormative perspectives on gender and sexuality. Findings: Participants' interactions with and creation of slash fanfiction constitute world-queering practices wherein individuals reorient cis/heteronormative content, design systems, and form community while developing their identities over time. Findings suggest ways that queer creators respond to, challenge, and reorient cis/heteronormative narratives perpetuated by EM and other information sources, as well as ways their practices are constrained by structural power dynamics. Research limitations/implications: This initial data collection only begins to explore the topic with ten interviews. The participant sample lacks racial diversity while the content sample focuses on one fandom. However, results suggest future directions for theoretical sampling that will continue to advance constructs developed from the data. Originality/value: This research contributes to evolving perspectives on information creation and queer individuals' information practices. In particular, findings expand theoretical frameworks related to small worlds and ways in which members of marginalized populations grapple with exclusionary normativity.