Degree Name
MA (Master of Arts)
Program
Communication and Storytelling Studies
Date of Award
5-2020
Committee Chair or Co-Chairs
Andrew Herrmann
Committee Members
Amber Kinser, Bobby Funk
Abstract
Costume play (i.e. cosplay) is a performance of fandom rife with rituals and communication practices. Cosplay roleplaying performances are cultural practices that reveal how cosplayers interact with one another and among non-cosplaying members of their fandoms. This study examines the expectations that cosplayers hold for roleplay, the forms of roleplay, and the ways in which roleplay can become an instigator of harassment. Through the lens of Face-Negotiation Theory, the author discusses how roleplay functions to maintain or threaten the public images of cosplayers and their audiences, and what strategies cosplayers implement to avoid the loss of face.
Document Type
Thesis - unrestricted
Recommended Citation
Price, Isaac V., "Managing Cosplay Performance: The Forms and Expectations of Convention Roleplay" (2020). Electronic Theses and Dissertations. Paper 3753. https://dc.etsu.edu/etd/3753
Copyright
Copyright by the authors.
Included in
Acting Commons, Critical and Cultural Studies Commons, International and Intercultural Communication Commons, Interpersonal and Small Group Communication Commons, Other Theatre and Performance Studies Commons, Performance Studies Commons