Abstract
This is a book about cosplay, but also much more than this. Drawing on original ethnographic research and the innovative use of art-led research, this book explores cosplay culture, but in doing so also contributes to our understanding of several related areas such as craft, creativity, fan culture, identity, leisure, performance, play, practice-led research, subculture, and uses of urban space. However, defining cosplay is far from straightforward, and hence, this chapter provides a detailed exploration of how we can understand and carry forward research into this community and its practices. In particular, we argue that cosplay is best understood as a craft, a subculture, and a performance, all of which are created and recreated in specific places both offline and online.
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Crawford, G., Hancock, D. (2019). Introduction: What Is Cosplay?. In: Cosplay and the Art of Play. Leisure Studies in a Global Era. Palgrave Macmillan, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-15966-5_1
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-15966-5_1
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