Virtual Travel, Imaginary Homelands, Pop Cosmopolitans, and Ethnic Enclaves

Drawing examples from field work conducted with various fandoms in Shanghai, this article explores the ways that the spatial and performance practices enable the active production of belief or “make believe” within the participating fans. It introduces the new term, “imaginary homelands” to nuance existing concepts of virtual travel and fan pilgrimage as we seek to understand the search for elsewhere which occur within familiar settings. Here, the essay draws on performance theory to explain how fans stage fantastical worlds for each other while also intensifying the sense of connection within the fan community. Along the way, the article draws parallels to the ways that ethnic enclaves enable transculturation and the differences between fan tourism at remote locations and the ongoing functioning of local spaces as “imaginary homelands.”