From “Fans for Idols” to “Fans for Nation”: Review on Fandom Nationalism in China

In recent years, with the increasing influence of the Internet and social media, fan nationalism, as a new form of nationalism, has been widely discussed by scholars.This paper reviews related literature of fan nationalism from three aspects: psychological drive, fan organization, and media development.In the process of politicizing the fan circle, fans sanctify their country as idols, and have a sense of identity with their ideals.The organizational structure and operation mode of fan nationalism are becoming increasingly mature owing to the extensive use of new media enables complex information to organize and mobilize fans.However, future research can turn attention to the influence of fan nationalism on the public attitude towards national sentiment, which may be helpful to understand the current trend of nationalism in China.