Destigmatization in the Furry Fandom: A Case Study on the X University Self-organization in China

DOI

10.2991/978-2-494069-13-8_7How to use a DOI?

Keywords

Subculture; Stigmatization; Furry Fandom; Case study

Abstract

As a popular subculture among the Z generation, Furry Fandom has recently become a topic of mainstream media coverage. Previous research on Furry Fandom suggests that furry fans suffer from strong social stigma often perpetuated by negative or inaccurate media portrayals as sexual deviant, socially awkward, or bestiality fetish, and sometimes they stigmatize themselves. Nevertheless, in China, less social stigma has been observed about Furry Fandom. Paradoxically, furry fans in China even exhibit self-deprecation inside and outside the communities. Taking the Furry self-organization at X University in Beijing, China, as an example, this paper used the Process Tracing Case Study Method and conducted in-depth online interviews with the administrator of the self-organization to investigate the factors causing this phenomenon. As a comparative social study, firstly, the study introduces a general overview of the Furry Fandom as a new subculture in China and the differences between the portrayal of western and Chinese mainstream media sources. Secondly, the study reviews prior studies specifically on the stigmatization of the Furry Fandom, and the study introduces the methodology. Thirdly, self-organization is introduced and analyzed as an empirical case study of the existence and development of Furries in China. Finally, the limitation of this research and suggestions for the future study are given in the conclusion. This study fills a research gap regarding Furry Fandom in China.

Copyright

© 2023 The Author(s)

Open Access

Open Access This chapter is licensed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International License (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0/), which permits any noncommercial use, sharing, adaptation, distribution and reproduction in any medium or format, as long as you give appropriate credit to the original author(s) and the source, provide a link to the Creative Commons license and indicate if changes were made.

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TY  - CONF
AU  - Yunfan Mao
PY  - 2022
DA  - 2022/11/29
TI  - Destigmatization in the Furry Fandom: A Case Study on the X University Self-organization in China
BT  - Proceedings of the 2022 International Conference on Sport Science, Education and Social Development (SSESD 2022)
PB  - Atlantis Press
SP  - 52
EP  - 60
SN  - 2352-5398
UR  - https://doi.org/10.2991/978-2-494069-13-8_7
DO  - 10.2991/978-2-494069-13-8_7
ID  - Mao2022
ER  -