The Archival Wave: Communities Represented By & Constructed In K-Pop Fan Archives

Abstract

The Internet has democratized archiving in new ways.  A dominant form of the new digital archive is the fan archive, which seeks to preserve and make accessible highly specific sections of popular culture.  The will to archive is driven by affect and fans help to foster a sense of devotion and representation through their archival work.  By analysing the role Korean pop (K-pop) fan archives have played in fostering the Korean wave, this paper will explore how archives not only represent communities but also construct their own.  In doing so, it suggests emerging archival practices arise most prominently in the affective space, unbound by traditionalism.