Fan pilgrimages. Real or symbolic travelling?

Piotr Siuda

The article analyses pilgrimages undertaken by members of fan subcultures. The author characterizes two dimensions of fan pilgrimages. The first one involves travelling to specific places that can be located within the geographical space. Pilgrimages of the second type are called symbolic and are conducted without moving in space, but through immersion in the favourite text. The article proves that symbolic journeys are not less authentic than the real ones. These two dimensions are more similar to each other than one could expect at first sight.

KEYWORDS

fans, fandom, fan studies, fan pilgrimages, symbolic pilgrimages