Buying intimacy: proximity and exchange at a Japanese rock concert

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    Author
    Stevens, Carolyn S.
    Date
    2004
    Source Title
    Fanning the Flames: Fans and Consumer Culture in Contemporary Japan
    Publisher
    State University of New York Press
    University of Melbourne Author/s
    Stevens, Carolyn
    Affiliation
    Arts: Asia Pacific Economics of Education and Training Unit (APEET)
    Metadata
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    Document Type
    Book Chapter
    Citations
    Stevens, C. S. (2004). Buying intimacy: proximity and exchange at a Japanese rock concert. In W. Kelly (Ed.), Fanning the flames: Fans and consumer culture in contemporary Japan (pp. 59-78). State University of New York Press.
    Access Status
    This item is currently not available from this repository
    URI
    http://hdl.handle.net/11343/33505
    Description

    Publisher’s permission requested and denied.
    Abstract
    This chapter is concerned with consumer behaviors and emotional experiences of fans of the Japanese rock group, the Alfee. The consumption of goods, information and experiences (through the live concert) is examined, and I found that a strong sense of "gift" in the anthropological sense underlies their experience of fandom. Receiving this gift prompts some fans to return the favor by sending objects or letters to the stars, creating a circular movement of capital, objects and afect between fans and stars. These transactions reveal the dynamics of a perceived personal relationship between fan and star. Fans can gain proximity through the accumulation of objects, as a kind of emotional capital.
    Keywords
    Japan; popular culture; rock music; fandom; social exchange theory

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