Marxism in Fandom
| Related terms: | Politics |
| See also: | Leftism in Fandom, Anarchism in Fandom, Class and Fandom |
| Click here for related articles on Fanlore. | |
This article or section needs expansion. |
Marxism is a way of analysing socio-economic conditions based on the works and theories of Karl Marx. Left wing members of fandom and left wing critics have used Marxism in meta and analysis regarding fandom. Many argue that no art exists in a vacuum, and that the fanworks, headcanons and discussions that take place within fandom will inevitably be affected by the political environment around them. Marxism thought in fanworks, whether created by Marxists or not, may therefore occur.
Canon Portrayals
The Ninth Doctor: As soon as the sirens go, you find a big fat family meal, still warm on the table with everyone down in the air raid shelter and bingo! Feeding frenzy for the homeless kids of Londontown. Puddings for all. As long as the bombs don’t get you.
Nancy: Something wrong with that?
The Ninth Doctor: Wrong with it? It’s brilliant. I’m not sure if it’s Marxism in action or a West End musical.The Empty Child by Steven Moffat - Doctor Who
Anti-communism
- Girl Meets World - an infamous episode of GMW addresses the topic of communism in a fairly typical anti-communist way:
Moral of the episode: If you're a successful socialist, a capitalist will come along and punish you for no reason.Comment on YouTube clip[1]
Inclusion in Fandom
Some characters are headcanoned as, or associated with being, a marxist:
- Lindsay and Cody from Total Drama - Both of these are based on memes.
Comrade Lindsay meme by totaljenisland, featuring the character of Lindsay from Total Drama reading The Communist Manifesto.
Fanworks
- Harry Potter Commodity Fetishism Fic - Explanation of the marxist term Commodity Fetishism in the form of a Harry Potter ficlet
Fandom and Media Analysis Through a Marxist Lens
Examples
Video Essays
- Marxism! | The Whole Plate: Episode 9 (July 2018) by Lindsay Ellis, an analysis of the Bayverse Transformers films.
- Spider-Man Movies & Marxist Themes (December 2020) by Stephan Krosecz, an analysis of several Spider-Man films: Sam Raimi films, The Amazing Spider-Man and Spider-Man MCU Movieverse.
- The Politics Of The Legend Of Korra - Book 1: Communism (July 2019) by Kay And Skittles, an analysis of the portrayal of communism in Book 1 of The Legend of Korra.
- Pokémon Philosophy: Is Mewtwo MARXIST? (April 2016) by Philosophy Tube, a short look at a few concepts of socialism and Marxism through the lens of Pokémon, particularly Mewtwo.
- Overanalyzing the Barbie Movies with Queer Marxist Theory (Jan 2022) by Alexander Avila, a video essay about the queerness of Barbie films through a Marxist lens.
Written Analysis
Marx in Fandom
Karl Marx himself has his own Ao3 tag with a small selection of fics within, and the fandoms included range from Historical RPF to fandoms of the Sci-fi or Historical Fiction genres, such as Doctor Who and Assassin's Creed.
Further Reading
- The Hungry Ghosts of Late Capitalism by Colin Broadmoor (January 2021)