Asian Celebrity Cultures in the Digital Age

Asian Celebrity Cultures in the Digital Age represents the first comprehensive study on Asian celebrity culture and industry in the digital era. Reflecting the interdisciplinarity of celebrity, digital media, fan, and cultural studies, it discusses emerging celebrity practices, economies, cultures, politics, and relations between Asian celebrities, digital media, and the internet with case studies from prominent Asian markets including India, China, Hong Kong, Philippines, Singapore, Vietnam, Indonesia, Thailand, South Korea, and Japan.   

Jian Xu is a senior lecturer in the School of Communication & Creative Arts at Deakin University, Australia.

Glen Donnar is a senior lecturer in popular culture and Asian media & culture in the School of Media and Communication at RMIT University, Australia.

Divya Garg is a PhD candidate and research assistant in the School of Media and Communication, RMIT University, Australia.

‘It has been a long time since the necessity of de-Westernising or de-Anglicising media and cultural studies was advocated. Yet much more needs to be done and celebrity studies is one of the least de-Westernised fields, given that the concept of “celebrity” itself is rather Euro-American-centric. This collection does not just accomplish this task credibly and comprehensively but also gives new empirical and theoretical insights into the field by analysing various emerging questions in the digitalised environment. Asian Celebrity Cultures in the Digital Age is a must-read for all scholars and students seeking to understand the diverse operation of cultural politics of fame and stardom in a digitally connected world.’

—Koichi Iwabuchi, University of Technology Sydney

‘This collection offers a vital intervention into the historically Western-centric field of celebrity studies in its examination of the rich and complex celebrity cultures emerging across Asia. Jian Xu, Glen Donnar, and Divya Garg have assembled a diverse set of scholars whose compelling and dynamic contributions draw attention to the unique historical, social, cultural, and political contexts shaping particular Asian celebrity cultures, as well as the broader impact those celebrity cultures have within an increasingly globalised and digitalised media landscape. Asian Celebrity Cultures in the Digital Age is an important book that sheds much-needed light on the transformations in how we engage with and study celebrities in the twenty-first century.’

—Erin A. Meyers, Oakland University