From writing fan fiction to campaigning for better media representation, fandom and participatory culture have long been seen as tools to resist dominant narratives and fight for a better future. But participatory culture is not always socially and politically progressive; rather, as Participatory Culture Wars demonstrates, it can be politically regressive and socially reactive. Communities coalesce around the exclusionary and the misinformed. Fans, fandoms, and fan practices are no longer the realm of media and popular culture; they have been adopted and co-opted across the contemporary political terrain. This volume offers specific examples and suggests approaches that can help make sense of the constantly shifting interaction between fandom and politics. Contributors: Alfred Archer, Renee Barnes, Simone Driessen, Xing Fan, Monica Flegel, Zoe Hurley, Bethan Jones, Sklaerenn Le Gallo, Judith Leggatt, Georgina Mills, Peng Qiao, James Rendell, Mel Stanfill, Michelle Stewart, Rebecca Williams, Christina Wurst “Carefully and expertly grounded in fan studies, Participatory Culture Wars provides a unique perspective desperately needed to help us make sense of our current political climate and culture wars. Clear and easy to read, the book is essential reading for the fan studies field—whether you’re a specialist, well-established senior scholar, graduate student, or newcomer to the field, you need to pick up this book.”—Ashley Hinck, author, Politics for the Love of Fandom: Fan-Based Citizenship in a Digital World   “ Participatory Culture Wars is a particularly timely and widely appealing fan studies book, offering a very readable and accessible experience for researchers, specialists, undergraduates, and popular audiences alike.”—Lori Morimoto, University of Virginia   Simone Driessen is assistant professor in media and popular culture at Erasmus University Rotterdam. She lives near Rotterdam, the Netherlands. Bethan Jones is research associate at Cardiff University and an honorary research fellow at Amgueddfa Cymru Museum Wales. She is author of The Truth Is Still Out There: Thirty Years of The X-Files. Jones lives in Aberdare, South Wales. Benjamin Litherland is lecturer in film and media at Manchester Metropolitan University. He is author of Wrestling in Britain: Sporting Entertainments, Celebrity and Audiences. Litherland lives in Manchester, United Kingdom.