Fandom for Us, by Us: The Pleasures and Practices of Black Audiences

Martin (cinematic arts, Univ. of Miami; The Generic Closet: Black Gayness and the Black-Cast Sitcom) demonstrates how Black fans engage in their subjects using “the four C’s”—class, clout, canon, and comfort—in this academic yet relatively accessible study. For “class,” fans watch Misty Copeland’s performances because of her status as a Black woman in the American Ballet Theatre. Clout is represented by 2018’s blockbuster Black Panther, whose fans told everyone they knew to see it on opening weekend. Older readers might fondly remember watching the 1978 Black canon film The Wiz as children. And although the leads of The Golden Girls are older white women, Black fans find comfort in viewing the 1980s sitcom. Each chapter expands on one of the four C’s by using interviews from Martin’s friend group, social media, and scholarly text. He meticulously details additional ways Black fans use class, clout, canon, and comfort. Throughout the book, Martin notes the joy many Black fans get from feeling like they can see themselves in the media.