Fanfic Forensics

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Problem statement: lack of research into dojinshi and implications, academic and real-world

Goals -academic

• The construction of a theoretical framework specifically suited to the cross-cultural comparison of communally created derivative literature, based on 'open work' theory
• Addressing methodological issues pertinent to a cross-cultural comparison of relatively under-researched fan media through the analysis of a database of visual and narrative elements occurring in the content of a large number of sample dōjinshi
• Interpreting these data within the theoretical framework: the research will identify differences and similarities between the ways Japanese and Western fans interpret the same source text and explain them from the viewpoint of 'open work' theory, and thereby attempt to situate dōjinshi as a medium within cultural studies (specifically manga and fan studies).

Goals -practical

• Formulating recommendations on how amateur media might succesfully be protected and integrated into the system of cultural production, first and foremost in Japan, but with an eye on the situation in other countries.
• Publish extensive amounts of data about dōjinshi useful for further research beyond this project, as well as a two-way Japanese-English online dictionary of fanwork and fan studies terminology.

Quick overview of methodology: gathering, presenting, and analyzing the data

Definitions of key terms:

• fanwork
• dojinshi
• fan fiction
• open work