From Prof. Craig Norris

In response to this blog post, I received this email from Prof. Craig Norris of the University of Tasmania (Australia):

Hi Armand, 

Thanks for mentioning me on your blog – I'd only found out this morning that the article had been published. Thanks again for your help and involvement in the email interview. There was a ton of data which I collected for the project which I'm working on getting published elsewhere – I'll let you know when these reach fruition. 

Looking forward to the new Godzilla film in 2014, and all the best in your post-election US world. 

Cheers, 

Craig
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Craig Norris, Ph.D. | University of Tasmania | LecturerSchool of English, Journalism and European Languages | Journalism Media andCommunications program

Creating Godzilla Media Tourism: Comparing Fan and Local Government Practices

Above, Prof. Craig Norris at the Godzilla statue in Hibiya.  Photo Courtesy of Prof. Norris.

A new article on Godzilla has been posted at The Refractory by Prof. Craig Norris of the University of Tasmania, Australia.

The article is entitled,

Creating Godzilla’s media tourism: Comparing fan and local government practices

It starts with:

Abstract

Fan pilgrimages to media locations have been variously described as fads or underground activities. More recently there has been a trend to consider cult media tourism as increasingly incorporated into official tourism branding and promotion strategies. This article details how fans and industry ‘play’ with popular culture to experiment with their surroundings in new and novel ways. This phenomenon is observed through two cases: first, Saitama City’s attempt to appear in a Godzilla movie as documented in the BBC series Japanorama; and second, the experience of western Godzilla fans travelling to Japan. By discussing the similar ‘fan tools’ which are used by different stakeholders this article will show how locations can be reimagined into popular culture portals serving a variety of agendas.

The article also includes a passage or two from The Monster Movie Fan's Guide To Japan.

To view the full article, go here.