Fan Identities in the Furry Fandom

Although definition can vary, to be a Furry, a person identifies with an animal as part of their personality; this can be on a mystical/religious level or a psychological level. In modern Western society having a spirit animal or animal identity can sometimes be framed as social deviance rather than religious or totemic diversity. Jessica Ruth Austin investigates how Furries use the online space to create a 'Furry identity'. She argues that for highly identified Furries, posthumanism is an appropriate framework to use. For less identified Furries, who are more akin to fans, fan studies literature is used to conceptualise their identity construction. This book argues that the Furries are not a homogenous group and with varying levels of identification within the fandom, so shows that negative media representations of the Furry Fandom have wrongly pathologized the Furries as deviants as opposed to fans.

Auteur

Jessica Ruth Austin lectures at Anglia Ruskin University, UK, in the English language department and within film and media studies.

Contenu

Acknowledgements

1.Introduction: The Furry Fandom
2.Furries as Fans
3.The Furry Habitus
4.Species Choice in the Furry Fandom
5.Stigmatization in the Furry Fandom
6.Pornography in the Furry Fandom
7.Conclusion

Glossary
Notes
Bibliography
Index