Emma Zhang

Zhenyu (Emma) Zhang attained her bachelor’s degree in teaching Chinese to speakers of other languages from Zhejiang University in China and her master’s dual degree in global communications from the University of Southern California (USC) and the London School of Economics (LSE).

Her research interest lies in the intersection of fandom, gender, and feminism studies. As an active media user as well as a para-researcher, she has witnessed the ebbs and flows of online fan movements in the past few years and she is wonderstruck by the vitality and tenacity of fan communities. She has used qualitative methods, epically interviews, to examine a wide range of topics such as Chinese fans’ creation (specifically, idol dolls) in the participatory culture and the politicization of fan activities.

Given that Asian entertainment industries (e.g., Chinese idols and K-pop) and fan communities are becoming increasingly thriving, addressing questions that are absent in the literature in the West and conducting comparative studies featuring non-Western cases are what she wants to contribute as a Ph.D. student at Penn State.