We Call Them Idol: Globalization, Transculturality, and Appropriation in Global K-Pop Fan Performance

Kong-Perring, Sharon (2026) We Call Them Idol: Globalization, Transculturality, and Appropriation in Global K-Pop Fan Performance. Doctoral thesis, Birmingham City University.

Preview

Text Sharon Kong-Perring PhD Thesis_Final Version_Final Award August 2026.pdf - Accepted Version Download (4MB)

Abstract

In the decades since its inception, South Korean Popular Music (K-Pop) has experienced a meteoric rise in international fandom and media attention. Fans in Anglophone and Anglophone-proximate/able markets quickly adapted K-Pop’s distinct fan subculture and rituals, both on and off-line. These practices and markers of subculture are perceived as authentic Korean domestic customs and a signal of authentic “Koreanness” to these global fandoms; however, these adaptations are often infused with Global North fandom practices and cultural superstructures that result in significant departures from actual Korean domestic fandom traditions.

This research, therefore, examines how Anglophone fans reperform Korean domestic fandom culture, analyzing whether these performances constitute as cultural appropriation, or alternatively, if these behaviors reflect a broader phenomenon of cultural globalization. Contributing to growing literature on K-Pop fandom studies, this work utilizes interviews, participant observation, virtual ethnography, and autoethnographic insights to negotiate fandom behavior and performance within a global/glocal context, offering new frameworks for future dialogue on cultural appropriation and transcultural translations.

Item Type:	Thesis (Doctoral)
Dates:	Date Event 17 August 2026 Accepted
Uncontrolled Keywords:	K-Pop, Hallyu, Fandom, Popular Music, Audience, South Korea, Dress & Body, Korean Media, Korean Music, Idol, Idol Music
Subjects:	CAH24 - media, journalism and communications > CAH24-01 - media, journalism and communications > CAH24-01-05 - media studies CAH25 - design, and creative and performing arts > CAH25-02 - performing arts > CAH25-02-01 - performing arts (non-specific) CAH25 - design, and creative and performing arts > CAH25-02 - performing arts > CAH25-02-02 - music
Divisions:	Arts > English and Media > Media Doctoral Research College > Doctoral Theses Collection
Depositing User:	Louise Muldowney
Date Deposited:	15 Sep 2026 11:01
Last Modified:	15 Sep 2026 11:01
URI:	https://www.open-access.bcu.ac.uk/id/eprint/17239

Actions (login required)

View Item