Routledge Handbook of Celebrity Studies Ours is the age of celebrity. An inescapable aspect of daily life in our media- saturated societies of the twenty- first century, celebrity is celebrated for its infinite plasticity and glossy seductions. But there is also a darker side. Celebrity culture is littered from end to end with addictions, pathologies, neuroses, even suicides. Why, as a society, are we held in thrall to celebrity? What is the power of celebrity in a world of increasing consumerism, individualism and globalization? Routledge Handbook of Celebrity Studies, edited by acclaimed social theorist Anthony Elliott, offers a remarkably clear overview of the analysis of celebrity in the social sciences and human- ities, and in so doing seeks to develop a new agenda for celebrity studies. The key theories of celebrity, ranging from classical sociological accounts to critical theory, and from media studies to postmodern approaches, are drawn together and critically appraised. There are substantive chapters looking at fame, renown and celebrity in terms of the media industries, pop music, the makeover industries, soap stars, fans and fandom as well as the rise of non-Western forms of celebrity. The Handbook also explores in detail the institutional aspects of celebrity, and espe- cially new forms of mediated action and interaction. From Web 3.0 to social media, the culture of celebrity is fast redefining the public political sphere. Throughout this volume, there is a strong emphasis on interdisciplinarity with chapters covering sociology, cultural studies, psychology, politics and history. Written in a clear and direct style, this handbook will appeal to a wide undergraduate audience. The extensive references and sources will direct students to areas of further study. Anthony Elliott is Dean of External Engagement at the University of South Australia, where he is Research Professor of Sociology and Executive Director of the Hawke EU Centre. He is also SuperGlobal Professor of Sociology (Visiting) at Keio University, Japan. He is the author and editor of some 40 books, including The Mourning of John Lennon, Making the Cut, Reinvention and Identity Troubles. Routledge Handbook of Celebrity Studies Edited by Anthony Elliott First published 2018 by Routledge 2 Park Square, Milton Park, Abingdon, Oxon OX14 4RN and by Routledge 711 Third Avenue, New York, NY 10017 Routledge is an imprint of the Taylor & Francis Group, an informa business © 2018 selection and editorial matter, Anthony Elliott; individual chapters, the contributors The right of Anthony Elliott to be identified as the author of the editorial material, and of the authors for their individual chapters, has been asserted in accordance with sections 77 and 78 of the Copyright, Designs and Patents Act 1988. All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reprinted or reproduced or utilised in any form or by any electronic, mechanical, or other means, now known or hereafter invented, including photocopying and recording, or in any information storage or retrieval system, without permission in writing from the publishers. Trademark notice: Product or corporate names may be trademarks or registered trademarks, and are used only for identification and explanation without intent to infringe. British Library Cataloguing- in- Publication Data A catalogue record for this book is available from the British Library Library of Congress Cataloging- in- Publication Data A catalog record has been requested for this book ISBN: 978- 1- 138- 02294- 2 (hbk) ISBN: 978- 1- 315- 77677- 4 (ebk) Typeset in Bembo by Out of House Publishing Contents List of contributors viii Acknowledgements xi PART I Theories and Concepts of Celebrity 1 1 Celebrity and contemporary culture: a critical analysis of some theoretical accounts 3 Anthony Elliott and Ross Boyd 2 Celebrity’s histories 26 Robert van Krieken 3 Celebrity in the contemporary era 44 Hannah Hamad 4 Postmodern theories of celebrity 58 Lee Barron 5 Cultural studies and the politics of celebrity: from powerless elite to celebristardom 73 Barry King 6 Celebrity and religion 93 Kathryn Lofton PART II The Culture of Celebrity 107 7 The death of celebrity: global grief, manufactured mourning 109 Anthony Elliott v Contents 8 Soap stars 124 C. Lee Harrington 9 Celebrity, fans and fandom 141 Nick Stevenson 10 Celebrity in the social media age: renegotiating the public and the private 157 Anne Jerslev and Mette Mortensen PART III Non- Western Celebrity 175 11 Victims, Bollywood and the construction of a cele- meme 177 Pramod K. Nayar 12 K- pop idols, artificial beauty and affective fan relationships in South Korea 190 Joanna Elfving- Hwang 13 ‘Idols’ in Japan, Asia and the world 202 Patrick W. Galbraith 14 Celebrity and power in South America 215 Nahuel Ribke 15 Celebrity philanthropy in China: rethinking cultural studies’ ‘Big Citizen’ critique 227 Elaine Jeffreys PART IV The Conduits of Celebrity 243 16 Celebrity in the age of global communication networks 245 Olivier Driessens 17 Celebrity involvement: parasocial interaction, identification and worship 255 William J. Brown 18 Celebrity, reputational capital and the media industries 271 Philip Drake vi Contents 19 Human rights, democracy and celebrity 285 Mark Wheeler 20 Drastic plastic: identity in the age of makeover 301 Anthony Elliott 21 The Great Gomez 314 John Astin in conversation with Anthony Elliott Index 322 vii Contributors Anthony Elliott is Dean of External Engagement, Executive Director of the Hawke EU Centre and Research Professor at the University of South Australia. He is the author or editor of some 40 books, including most recently Identity Troubles (Routledge, 2016), The Consequences of Global Disasters (Routledge, 2016, edited with E.L. Hsu) and The Routledge Handbook of Psychoanalysis in the Social Sciences and Humanities (Routledge, 2016, edited with Jeffrey Prager). Ross Boyd is a Research Associate in External Relations and Strategic Projects at the University of South Australia. His publications include Culture and Education (with B. Wadham and J. Pudsey), book chapters and peer- reviewed articles in scholarly journals such as the Journal of Sociology, Human Geography and International Education Journal. Robert van Krieken is Professor of Sociology at the University of Sydney, and Visiting Professor at University College Dublin. His recent publications include Celebrity Society (Routledge, 2012), Sociology (Pearson, 2013, with D. Habibis, P. Smith, B. Hutchins, G. Martin and K. Maton) and Celebrity and the Law (Federation Press, 2010, with P. Loughlan and B. McDonald). Hannah Hamad is Senior Lecturer in Media and Communication at Cardiff University. Her recent publications include ‘Contemporary Medical Television and Crisis in the NHS’ (Critical Studies in Television, 2016), ‘Eddie Murphy’s Baby Mama Drama and Smith Family Values’ in S. Cobb and N. Ewen (eds), First Comes Love (Bloomsbury, 2015) and ‘I’m Not Past My Sell By Date Yet!’ in D. Jermyn and S. Holmes (eds), Women, Celebrity and Cultures of Ageing (Palgrave Macmillan, 2015). Lee Barron is Principal Lecturer in the Department of Media and Communication Design. His recent books include Celebrity Cultures: An introduction (Sage, 2015) and Social Theory in Popular Culture (Palgrave, 2013) along with numerous articles in scholarly journals such as Celebrity Studies, Cultural Studies and Postcolonial Studies. Barry King is Professor of Communications and Director of the Performance Research Centre in the School of Communication Studies, Auckland University of Technology. He was the lead researcher on the Ministry of Culture and Heritage funded project on Television Violence in New Zealand, author of Taking Fame to Market: Pre-Hollywood and Post-Hollywood Stardom (Palgrave Macmillan, 2014) and co- author of Studying the Event Film: Lord of the Rings (Manchester University Press, 2008, with Harriet Margolis, Sean Cubitt and Thierry Jutel). viii List of contributors Kathryn Lofton is Professor of Religious Studies, American Studies and History; Chair, Religious Studies at Yale University. Her publications include Consuming Religion (University of Chicago Press, 2017), Oprah: The Gospel of an Icon (University of California Press, 2011) and Women’s Work: An Anthology of African- American Women’s Historical Writings from Antebellum America to the Harlem Renaissance (Oxford University Press, 2010, edited with Laurie Maffly- Kipp). C. Lee Harrington is Professor of Sociology and Social Justice Studies at the University of Miami. Her recent publications include Fandom: Identities and communities in a mediated world (NYU Press, 2017, edited with J. Gray and C. Sandvoss) and Aging, Media, Culture (Lexington Books, 2014, edited with D.D. Bielby and A.R. Bardo) and numerous book chapters and articles in scholarly journals such as Communication, Culture & Critique, Sociology Compass and International Journal of Cultural Studies. Nick Stevenson is a reader in Cultural Sociology at the University of Nottingham. His publications include Human Rights and the Reinvention of Freedom (Routledge, 2017), Freedom (Routledge, 2012), Education and Cultural Citizenship (Sage, 2011) and David Bowie: Fame, sound and vision (Cambridge, 2006). Anne Jerslev is Professor II at the Department of Media and Communication, and Professor in Film and Media Studies at the Department of Media, Cognition and Communication, University of Copenhagen. Her publications include Reality- tv (Sanfundslitteratur, 2014), Impure Cinema (Taurus, 2014) and numerous