)DQFXOWXUHDVDQLQIRUPDOOHDUQLQJ HQYLURQPHQW 3UHVHQWDWLRQRIDQ1*/SURMHFW Chatarina Edfeldt Anneli Fjordevik Hiroko Inose Dalarna University, SE Dalarna University. SE Dalarna University, SE [email protected] [email protected] [email protected] case of scanlation, the scanlators practice the ABSTRACT skills and techniques of translating in an informal environment. This phenomenon of Fan culture is a subculture that has developed participatory culture has been observed by explosively on the internet over the last decades. scholars and it is concluded that they contribute Fans are creating their own films, translations, WR WKH GHYHORSPHQW RI D VWXGHQW¶V OLWHUDF\ DQG fiction, fan art, blogs, role play and also various foreign language skills. Furthermore, there is no forms that are all based on familiar popular doubt that the fandom related to Japanese culture creations like TV-series, bestsellers, cultural products such as manga, anime and anime, manga stories and games. In our project, videogames is one of the strong motives for we analyze two of these subculture genres, fan foreign students to start learning Japanese. fiction and scanlation. This is something to take into pedagogical Amateurs, and sometimes professional writers, consideration when we develop web-based create new stories by adapting and developing courses. Fan fiction and fan culture make it existing storylines and characters from the possible to have an intensive transcultural original. In this way, a "network" of texts dialogue between participators throughout the occurs, and writers step into an intertextual world and is of great interest when studying the dialogue with established writers such as JK interaction between formal and informal Rowling (Harry Potter) and Stephanie Meyer learning that puts the student in focus. (Twilight). Literary reception and creation then merge into a rich reciprocal creative activity Keywords: fan culture, fan fiction, scanlation, which includes comments and feedback from the informal learning environment, participatory culture participators in the community. INTRODUCTION The critical attitude of the fans regarding quality and the frustration at waiting for the official In order to better meet the needs of the New translation of manga books led to the Generation of students, our challenge will be to development of scanlation, which is an amateur develop new pedagogical thinking to accompany translation of manga distributed on the internet. new technologies. This has led us to take a closer look at informal learning environments Today, young internet users get involved in taking place on the internet today. The present conceptual discussions of intertextuality and study builds on interesting and important narrative structures through fan activity. In the 105 previous research from scholars like Marc the internet. It aims to identify and discuss some Prensky, James Paul Gee, Henry Jenkins and elements in these fan communities that probably Christina Olin-Scheller, when we are taking as a benefit the learning situation. We are interested premise that a favorable learning situation and in the learning process, per se, rather than learning outcome is taking place in fan culture proving or evaluating specific learning online communities today. outcomes. Furthermore, we will try to identify and discuss some elements within this process Marc Prensky has suggested that the so- called that benefits the learning environment. We will GHFOLQHLQWRGD\¶VHGXFDWLRQDOV\VWHPLVGXHWRD start with a brief introduction to fan discrepancy between how young people access communities and then continue on to the new information and knowledge through online learning processes taking place on fan fiction communities, and the traditional methodology and scanlation sites. used by their teachers to educate them. And to describe this he uses the metaphor: digital Fan culture is a subculture that has developed natives and digital immigrants, referring to a explosively on the internet during the last generation that has grown up with these new decades. Fans are creating their own films, technologies and an older generation that has translations, fiction, fan art, blogs, role play and had to adapt to them. (Prensky 2001) Also James also various forums that are all based on familiar Paul Gee has convincingly shown in his study popular culture creations like TV-series, Situated Language and Learning: A Critique of bestsellers, anime, manga stories and games. Traditional Schooling (2004) how young people On fan culture community websites young FDQ OHDUQ ³PRUH´ IURP WKHLU DIWHU-school people learn how to write, comment on and activities than from traditional schooling (for translate texts. On fan fiction websites fans example, complex problem solving from create new stories by adapting and developing videogames). In his latest book Language and existing storylines and characters from the learning in a Digital Age (2011) he emphasizes original; get involved in an intensive dialogue learning environments and popular culture and between reader and writer and have conceptual KHUHFRJQL]HVLWDVD³QHZOHDUQLQJV\VWHP´DQG discussions on intertextuality and narrative invents a new term to define it: structures. In the case of scanlation, the The new learning system, competing today in scanlators practice the skills and techniques of many respects with our school systems, is translating, as well as acquiring Japanese learning as part of popular culture. (---) There language abilities, in an informal environment. LVQR³RIILFLDO´QDPHIRUWKLVW\SHRIOHDUQLQJ Art reception and creation then merge into a rich so we will have to make one up. We will call reciprocal creative activity which includes LW ³SDVVLRQDWH DIILQLW\-based comments and feedback from the participators in OHDUQLQJ´ Passionate affinity-based learning occurs when people organize themselves in the community. the real world and/or via the Internet (or a In 1992 Henry Jenkins wrote a groundbreaking virtual world) to learn something connected to study on fan culture where he deconstructed the a shared endeavor, interest, or passion. (Gee prevailing negative image of a fan as a 2011:69) stereotypical fanatic and reinterpreted her or him In our paper we will focus on how communities as passionate and creative community member. of fan culture ± with the examples of the two Since then, fandom has taken the step into online subgenres fan fiction and scanlation activity - communities and experienced an explosive function as an informal learning environment on 106 development, both in the form of an increased FAN FICTION number of participants as well as in social credit. Fan culture is now a completely transnational Feedback: Reviews and beta activity where people from all over the world come together in their shared passion for a readers specific fandom. Henry Jenkins characterizes a In an article in the Swedish newspaper Svenska fan as follows, and the quotation also illustrates Dagbladet, the author Jennifer deLucy what he has defined as a Participatory culture: HPSKDVL]HV WKH IDQ ILFWLRQ ZRUOG DV D ³ZULWLQJ This ability to transform personal reaction into VFKRRO´ ZKHUH HYHU\RQH HYHQ SURIHVVLRQDO social interaction, spectatorial culture into writers like herself, has something to learn. Even participatory culture, is one of the central if most of the fan fiction writers may be characteristics of fandom. One becomes a amateurs there also are the more experienced ³IDQ´ QRW E\ EHLQJ D UHJXODU YLHZHU RI D who supervise the less experienced. Under the particular program but by translating that WDJ ³5HYLHZ WKLV VWRU\´ RQ WKH ZHEVLWH viewing into some kind of cultural activity, by fanfiction.net every reader has the possibility to sharing feelings and thoughts about the give feedback and interact with the author. The program content with friends, by joining a feedback from other fans often comes quickly, ³FRPPXQLW\´ RI RWKHU IDQV ZKR VKDUH common interests. For fans, consumption since the fans share the same interests ± the naturally sparks production, reading generates same passion for a fandom ± and normally react writing, until the terms seem logically RQWKHQHZVWRULHVLPPHGLDWHO\,W¶VDQRQJRLQJ inseparable... GLVFXVVLRQLW¶VQRWRQO\RQHFRPPHQWIURPWKH teacher like in the traditional teacher-student (Jenkins 2006: 41) relationship. Here, writers have the possibility to This passage points to some important elements argue an opinion or just ask what the reviewers for a favorable learning situation namely: a mean by something. They also develop skills in shared passion for the fandom and an emotional WKHVH ³PHWDWDONV´ LQ KRZ WR DQDO\]H WKHLU RZQ investment in the material as a strong motivator ZULWLQJ DQG WKH\¶UH KDYLQJ WKHRUHWLFDO for writing and participating. The fan discussions about the interpretations of the communities are particularly good examples of source texts (Wenz 2010; Olin-Scheller 2009). participatory culture - where consumers and )RU H[DPSOH WKH TXHVWLRQ ³:KHQ GRHV IDQ SURGXFHUV EOHQG WRJHWKHU LQWR ³SURVXPHUV´ DQG ILFWLRQEHFRPHOLWHUDWXUH"´LVEHLQJGLVFXVVHGLQ WKHNH\ZRUGKHUHLV³VKDULQJ´-DPHV3DXO*HH a forum on fanfiction.net. was seen in the citation shown earlier on his (http://forum.fanfiction.net/topic/2872/5683 concept of ³SDVVLRQDWH DIILQLW\-EDVHG OHDUQLQJ´ 6699/1/ 2012-02-15) and Prensky agrees with Jenkins on passion as the key element. Author and readers accordingly meet in this ongoing and intensive dialogue. They act as In the following sections, we will see two types teachers/mentors for each other; they comment of fan activities, identifying