Participatory Memory: Fandom Experiences Across Time and Space

Credits and References

Digital humanities work can be challenging, drawing on our skills as researchers, scholars, practitioners, and managers. This project was no different, and it took a team to produce, edit, and build this digital book project. All of Liza Potts' coauthors are former student researchers who worked with her at WIDE Research. Part of this group's mission is to mentor and collaborate with students, and this book is a product of this work. Aside from Kristen Mapes, all of WIDE's support personnel are undergraduate and graduate students managed by Liza Potts from the College of Arts and Letters and the Department of Writing, Rhetoric, and American Cultures.

Authors

  • Liza Potts
    Lead Author

    Liza Potts is a digital humanities scholar working in rhetoric and technical communication with a focus on experience architecture. Her research interests include social user experience, participatory culture, and digital rhetoric. She is an Associate Professor in the Department of Writing, Rhetoric, and American Cultures at Michigan State University, where she is the director of the award-winning WIDE Research. She earned her PhD in Communication and Rhetoric at Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute. 

  • Melissa Beattie
    Coauthor
    Ianto Shrine

    Melissa Beattie has recently been awarded a PhD in TV Studies from Aberystwyth University, having previously studied archaeology and ancient history. Her research interests include fan tourism, transnational TV, fan studies, representation, and new/social media. She has published her work in several edited collections.

  • Emily Dallaire
    Coauthor
    Harry Potter

    Emily Dallaire is a user experience specialist currently residing in Minneapolis, Minnesota, where she works as a User Experience/Marketing Strategist at Sundog Interactive. She earned her BA in Experience Architecture and Professional Writing from Michigan State University. Emily's fascination with the phenomenon of Harry Potter began during childhood, and the close communities she formed through her love of Harry Potter have served as an inspiration for her research.

  • Katie Grimes
    Coauthor
    People's Princess

    Katie Grimes is a writer, editor, and nonprofit communications specialist. The legacy and enchantment of Princess Diana has continued to fascinate Katie for years, making this research project an exciting endeavor. She is a graduate of Michigan State University, where she earned a BA in Professional Writing and minors in Religious Studies and Digital Humanities.

  • Kelly Turner
    Coauthor
    Harry Potter

    Kelly Turner is a writer and digital content strategist currently living in Chicago and working at an advertising agency downtown. Her love for the Harry Potter series began at a young age and has only grown over time. This research project has been a great opportunity for her to explore the effects of fan communities in a fandom so close to her heart. Kelly is a graduate of Michigan State University, where she earned her BA in Professional Writing.

WIDE and CAL Support Staff

Kristen Mapes
Digital Humanities
Implementation

Kristen Mapes is a digital humanist in the College of Arts and Letters at Michigan State University. She has graduate degrees in Medieval Studies and Library Science and researches how academics use digital spaces for scholarly communication. She is also interested in visualization techniques for exploring digitized manuscripts. Kristen also created and leads a digital humanities summer study abroad program to London.

Kathie Gossett
Video Editor

Landie Berry
Accessibility Support

Lauren Brentnell
WIDE Research Center
Graduate Assistant

Brooke Chambers
Sound Mixer

Victor del Hierro
WIDE Research Center
Graduate Assistant

Ashita Nichanametla
Copy Editor

Tylor Hoekstra
Web Development
Support

Jen Wissing
Visual Design Support

 

Dedication

We dedicate this book to the fans who participate in memory spaces across physical and digital spaces.

Acknowledgements

Liza would like to acknowledge all of her study abroad students who taught her how to be a better researcher, teacher, fan, and human being. Liza is grateful to her dear friend Carlos Bastus for taking her to Europe in 2004, the trip that launched this project. She would like to thank her family for supporting her during her travels to trace these places and spaces, especially her husband, Stephen, who took care of the house and Potts girls while she was researching locations and running her study abroad over the years. The entire family went along for the 2014 trip, including her mother, Carmen, who helped inspire the Princess Diana research. Her oldest daughter, Zoë, kept her up-to-date about other fandoms and shared in her adventures. Her middle daughter, Katie, went on the 2016 trip and played a pivotal role in keeping everyone happily engaged. Her youngest daughter, Jayne would happily hum the theme to Doctor Who while Liza wrote and reminded her mother that all of the Doctors are wonderful. Liza is grateful to her cousin, Stephanie, who shared entertainment news and visited during her travels. And to her cousins in London, who gave her a local perspective on fan tourism, tips on navigating the city, and a fantastic Sunday roast: Thank you, Mac, Lynda, Amanda, Amber, and the rest of the Mackenzies!

Melissa would like to thank Liza for bringing her onto this book project and for her constant encouragement, something sorely needed. Melissa is eternally grateful to Professor Matt Hills, who very kindly (and against all good sense) took in and mentored a wandering archaeologist, as well as Dr. Ross Garner and Dr. Rebecca Williams for their support of this project from the very beginning. Melissa would also like to thank the ancient cultures of what are now Mesoamerica and Yemen for their development of chocolate and coffee, without which no academic activity would be possible.

Emily would like to thank Michigan State University’s College of Arts and Letters, Department of Writing, Rhetoric, and American Cultures, and the Experience Architecture program for giving her resources and education that she could utilize to become a strong professional in the user experience industry. She’d also like to thank her friends and family for supporting her love of books, travel, and curiosity, without which she wouldn’t have fell into such an interesting project. Last but not least, Emily would like to forever thank Liza for serving as a mentor throughout her work with this project, and through every aspect of her college career.

Katie would like to thank Liza for conceiving this ambitious, engaging book project and for including her in the writing of it. She is grateful for Liza’s mentorship and for her extensive knowledge of foreign cheeses—something she benefited from greatly during their 2014 study abroad trip.

Kelly would like to thank not only Liza for her unparalleled excitement, confidence, and support throughout this extensive project, but also all the faculty and mentors at Michigan State University’s College of Arts and Letters, Department of Writing, Rhetoric, and American Cultures, and the Professional Writing program who have helped her shape the skills she needed to succeed anywhere. Of course, she would also like to thank her family for encouraging, and often funding, her fan participation over the years.

Special thanks to the editorial team at enculturation's intermezzo for their support: Jeff Rice for believing in our project, Sergio C. Figueiredo for guiding the editorial production process, and Eric Detweiler for his excellent copyediting. And thank you to the team at Scalar for developing the open source, scholarly publishing tool we used to build our born digital book.

A Note About Copyright

This digital book project is in no way intended to infringe upon any copyright or trademark. All contributors to this project refrained from submitting copyrighted work without permission or work that exceeds the definitions of fair dealing (UK, Australia, and Canada) or fair use (United States) provisions of copyright law. Doctor Who and Torchwood are copyrighted by the BBC. Harry Potter is copyrighted by J.K. Rowling (character rights), Bloomsbury and Scholastic Corporation (books), and Time Warner (film rights).

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