O cosplay traduzido como brincar de fantasiar é uma atividade realizada por algumas pessoas em eventos que reúnem admiradores de desenhos animados e histórias em quadrinhos japonesas. Alguns de seus participantes vestem-se como os personagens veiculados nesses meios e são chamados de cosplayers. Diferente de um baile à fantasia, lá eles podem interpretar os personagens e, normalmente, a escolha é feita com base na identificação com estes. Esta dissertação tem como objetivo principal compreender o fenômeno cosplay, como parte do mundo hipermoderno, que vem atraindo um crescente número de adeptos no Brasil, e que vêm a fazer parte da identidade de alguns desses jovens. Para isso, apresento um breve panorama sobre o contexto atual marcado por novas tecnologias, difusão do consumo, mudanças nas relações familiares, diluição das barreiras físicas e aumento das fontes de informação, que provocaram profundas mudanças nos modos de ser e agir no mundo. Destaco também a importância do papel do consumo, pois com a degradação das estruturas tradicionais que proporcionavam bases estáveis nas quais se apoiavam as identidades, estas foram se tornando incertas e fluidas e, assim, o mundo se prontifica a oferecer uma variedade enorme de objetos de consumo para constituí-la. Como o cosplay envolve o processo de identificação com os personagens do entretenimento japonês, apresento algumas características das histórias em quadrinhos japonesas que são considerados atrativos deste material, e discuto a questão da juventude e identidade, e a importância do imaginário, fatos marcantes deste fenômeno. A fim de entender mais essa dinâmica formou-se um grupo focal com cinco cosplayers, entre 16 e 21 anos, moradores do Rio de Janeiro, que contribuíram significativamente para a discussão de todo o trabalho. Além do divertimento e do aumento das habilidades na confecção das vestimentas, o reconhecimento social apareceu como uma das motivações para realização dos cosplays. Esse dado reitera a importância das interações no processo de formação da pessoa. Um outro dado relevante apontado foi que através de identificação com alguns personagens, os cosplayers acabam questionando suas próprias atitudes, reforçando com isso, o papel ativo desses jovens no consumo dos produtos midiáticos / The cosplay translated as "playing to fantasize" is an activity performed by some people in events that bring together fans of cartoons and stories in Japanese comics. Some of its participants dress up as the characters run these facilities and are called cosplayers. Unlike a costume party, they can then interpret the characters and usually, the choice is made on the basis of identification with them. This thesis aims to understand the phenomenon main cosplay as part of the hipermodernity world, which is attracting a growing number of followers in Brazil, and coming to be part of the identity of some of these young people. For this, I start presenting a brief overview on the current context marked by new technologies, dissemination of consumption, changes in family relationships, dilution of physical barriers and increasing sources of information, that caused profound changes in ways of being and acting in the world. Its important o emphasize the role of consumption, because with the decline of traditional structures that provided stable bases on which it supported the identities, they were becoming uncertain and fluid, and the world get ready to offer an enormous variety of objects of consumption that identity can be based on. As the cosplay involves the process of identification with the characters of Japanese entertainment, I show some characteristics of the stories in Japanese comics that are considered attractions of this material, and discuss the issue of youth and identity, and the importance of imagination, facts of this remarkable phenomenon. In order to understand this dynamic, it was created a focus group with five cosplayers, between 16 and 21 years old, residents of Rio de Janeiro, which contributed significantly to the discussion of all the work. Besides the fun and increasing skills in the manufacture of clothing, the social recognition emerged as one of the motivations for achieving the cosplays. This finding confirms the importance of interactions in the process of formation of the person. Another relevant figure has been suggested that by identifying with certain characters, the cosplayers just questioning their own attitudes, reinforcing it with the active role of these young people in the consumption of media products

O cosplay traduzido como brincar de fantasiar é uma atividade realizada por algumas pessoas em eventos que reúnem admiradores de desenhos animados e histórias em quadrinhos japonesas. Alguns de seus participantes vestem-se como os personagens veiculados nesses meios e são chamados de cosplayers. Diferente de um baile à fantasia, lá eles podem interpretar os personagens e, normalmente, a escolha é feita com base na identificação com estes. Esta dissertação tem como objetivo principal compreender o fenômeno cosplay, como parte do mundo hipermoderno, que vem atraindo um crescente número de adeptos no Brasil, e que vêm a fazer parte da identidade de alguns desses jovens. Para isso, apresento um breve panorama sobre o contexto atual marcado por novas tecnologias, difusão do consumo, mudanças nas relações familiares, diluição das barreiras físicas e aumento das fontes de informação, que provocaram profundas mudanças nos modos de ser e agir no mundo. Destaco também a importância do papel do consumo, pois com a degradação das estruturas tradicionais que proporcionavam bases estáveis nas quais se apoiavam as identidades, estas foram se tornando incertas e fluidas e, assim, o mundo se prontifica a oferecer uma variedade enorme de objetos de consumo para constituí-la. Como o cosplay envolve o processo de identificação com os personagens do entretenimento japonês, apresento algumas características das histórias em quadrinhos japonesas que são considerados atrativos deste material, e discuto a questão da juventude e identidade, e a importância do imaginário, fatos marcantes deste fenômeno. A fim de entender mais essa dinâmica formou-se um grupo focal com cinco cosplayers, entre 16 e 21 anos, moradores do Rio de Janeiro, que contribuíram significativamente para a discussão de todo o trabalho. Além do divertimento e do aumento das habilidades na confecção das vestimentas, o reconhecimento social apareceu como uma das motivações para realização dos cosplays. Esse dado reitera a importância das interações no processo de formação da pessoa. Um outro dado relevante apontado foi que através de identificação com alguns personagens, os cosplayers acabam questionando suas próprias atitudes, reforçando com isso, o papel ativo desses jovens no consumo dos produtos midiáticos / The cosplay translated as "playing to fantasize" is an activity performed by some people in events that bring together fans of cartoons and stories in Japanese comics. Some of its participants dress up as the characters run these facilities and are called cosplayers. Unlike a costume party, they can then interpret the characters and usually, the choice is made on the basis of identification with them. This thesis aims to understand the phenomenon main cosplay as part of the hipermodernity world, which is attracting a growing number of followers in Brazil, and coming to be part of the identity of some of these young people. For this, I start presenting a brief overview on the current context marked by new technologies, dissemination of consumption, changes in family relationships, dilution of physical barriers and increasing sources of information, that caused profound changes in ways of being and acting in the world. Its important o emphasize the role of consumption, because with the decline of traditional structures that provided stable bases on which it supported the identities, they were becoming uncertain and fluid, and the world get ready to offer an enormous variety of objects of consumption that identity can be based on. As the cosplay involves the process of identification with the characters of Japanese entertainment, I show some characteristics of the stories in Japanese comics that are considered attractions of this material, and discuss the issue of youth and identity, and the importance of imagination, facts of this remarkable phenomenon. In order to understand this dynamic, it was created a focus group with five cosplayers, between 16 and 21 years old, residents of Rio de Janeiro, which contributed significantly to the discussion of all the work. Besides the fun and increasing skills in the manufacture of clothing, the social recognition emerged as one of the motivations for achieving the cosplays. This finding confirms the importance of interactions in the process of formation of the person. Another relevant figure has been suggested that by identifying with certain characters, the cosplayers just questioning their own attitudes, reinforcing it with the active role of these young people in the consumption of media products

The performance of identity is an often studied subject matter. One identity, Geek, and the larger subculture to which it is attached (Geek culture) has become a growing field of study in since the turn of the millennium, mirroring the growth of the subculture itself. The question then is how do Geek's perform this identity and create an idea of what a Geek is? If there is a place to examine this performance then it is the growing event of comic book conventions. At these events thousands of individuals gather to celebrate, interact with, purchase and play with the commodities of Geek; comic books, video games, anime, manga and film. In this space, as I will discuss, the spectrum of performance as outline by Richard Schechner in Performance Theory occurs in simultaneous forms inside the convention. While there is ritual, there is also play, and theater, and all three may be occurring at any one time through any one individual. This is partially brought on by the presence of cosplayers, convention attendees who dress up as fictional characters, and perform a separate role that also speaks to their own identity. Furthermore, the presence of what Victor Turner terms social dramas in the space of the panel discussion complicate and re-form not only individual identities, but also Geek culture identity as well. Underlying the interaction of identity with space/place is the, as Marc Agé terms it, non-place nature of the convention center itself. That the convention center does not bear the trappings of a typical anthropological place (such as history or tradition) influences the impact of the performance and the identity created therein. Consequently, the identity held will be challenged by the temporary nature, not just of the event, but also the place which contains it. I attended two comic book conventions in the state of Florida to examine this phenomena using my own experience as part of the study, as well as interviewing other convention attendees and people within my group. I will move through the space of the conventions exploring my personal relation to the identity of Geek and how others perform the identity while trying to explore what does it mean to be Geek?

This project explores my relationship with elements of Japanese culture. Central to the project will be the Japanese practice of cosplay (dressing in costume), otaku (geek) subculture and their influences in the worlds of Japanese manga comic books and animated films. It will focus on the importance of kawaii (cute) in Japanese culture. The artworks will explore notions of identity and the ‘space between’. I shall do this through the gathering of Japanese objects which will be fused with my own image. I shall use photography, print and digital manipulation finishing in a sculptural installation referencing pop culture and commercial display. This project will constitute 80% practical work to be presented in a final exhibition piece accompanied by 20% written exegesis.

This project explores my relationship with elements of Japanese culture. Central to the project will be the Japanese practice of cosplay (dressing in costume), otaku (geek) subculture and their influences in the worlds of Japanese manga comic books and animated films. It will focus on the importance of kawaii (cute) in Japanese culture. The artworks will explore notions of identity and the ‘space between’. I shall do this through the gathering of Japanese objects which will be fused with my own image. I shall use photography, print and digital manipulation finishing in a sculptural installation referencing pop culture and commercial display. This project will constitute 80% practical work to be presented in a final exhibition piece accompanied by 20% written exegesis.

nÃo hà / Esta tese à uma etnografia dos fazeres juvenis elaborados e vivenciados pelos/as jovens cearenses ao produzirem e atuarem com um cosplay. Na busca de compreender esses fazeres, foram acompanhados 10 jovens em seus percursos cotidianos e em eventos (SANA), no perÃodo de 2014 a 2016. Os suportes teÃricos da tese foram: Certeau (1995; 2013), Nunes (2015), Ortiz (2007; 2009), Deleuze e Guatarri (1997), Turner (2013), Schechner (2012), Pais (2003; 2005; 2006), Ferreira (2016), Louro (2003; 2008a), Larrosa (2016), Sales (2014; 2016a), Joca (2013) dentre outros. Esses/as jovens cosplayers estÃo inseridos em uma cultura pop que à multitemÃtica e traz para as suas performances uma diversidade de personagens e histÃrias para customizarem esses fazeres que partem da escolha desses personagens para entrar em cena e aos fazeres das mÃos que customizam a roupa e os acessÃrios. Ao atuarem como cosplayer no CearÃ, eles/as tÃm referÃncias de uma cena cosplayer apresentada em outros estados brasileiros, em outros paÃses como o JapÃo e os Estados Unidos, no entanto, conseguem tecer suas maneiras de ser cosplayer, simbolizados em suas atuaÃÃes, mas principalmente nos fazeres das mÃos, produzidos no cosplay e em todos os seus acessÃrios. Nesse processo de atuaÃÃo como cosplayer, os/as jovens elaboram fazeres ritualizados e performÃticos para adentrar e se fixar na cena cosplayer. Vivenciam seus ritos de iniciaÃÃo, e nesse processo buscam ser aceitos pelos/as cosplayers que jà atuam em cena, assim como pelos grupos. Na performance desses personagens, rompem com os marcadores de gÃnero homem/mulher para corresponderem as suas preferÃncias de como querem se apresentar nos palcos. Por fim, desde a escolha do personagem, o conhecimento da sua histÃria, as performances que deverÃo ser elaboradas à customizaÃÃo do cosplay e dos acessÃrios, eles/as anunciam diversas experiÃncias de aprendizagem, seja com o corpo ao usar as mÃos para customizarem suas roupas e demarcarem as suas habilidades e criatividades, seja em suas performances ao se prepararem para estar em cena. Todos esses fazeres promovem nos/as jovens a capacidade de mudar a sua realidade juvenil e tecer enredos que vÃo compor as suas sagas juvenis dentro e fora do universo cosplay.

This thesis analyses the concept of cosplay by critically engaging earlier theories that have claimed cosplay to be a form of escapism for fans of Japanese manga and animé. Theories have so far been concerned mainly with identifying cosplay as a type of theatre. By interviewing active cosplayers in focus groups, this thesis instead focuses on the ways in which cosplay functions as an arena for identity-creation. By looking at theories of identity, the thesis has analysed how identity is created, not by an individual, but in a reciprocal relationship with social groups. Cosplay is an element around which social groupings are built and through complex social structuring identity is created by attaching one self to the group. The group is structured by the amount of symbolic capital each member possesses, which is to say that knowledge about the stories within the group, and social relationships are determining the structure of the group. By looking at the structure of the group, we are able to gain insight into the question of cosplay as an object for identity-creation, and by looking at the interactions in the focus groups we are furthermore able to actively analyse the distribution of capital. This thesis thus asserts that cosplay does not function as a simple form of escapism that allows for cosplayer to escape their mundane lives, but that it is instead an important field for the creation of identity for the fans of manga and cosplay.

Uppsatsen syftar till att undersöka ungdomars reception av fenomenet manga/anime på ett etnografiskt arbetssätt, avgränsat med begreppet ungdomskultur. Fokus ligger på två mangayttringar som närmast berör ungdomar: shōjo för flickor och shōnen för pojkar. Resultatet redovisas i tre olika teman: Estetik/Stil, Makt/Könsroller och Berättelser/Myter,vilka tolkas med hjälp av ett raster på textuell, kontextuell och sociohistorisk nivå.Undersökningen är kvalitativ med sju ungdomar som informanter, och empirin består avfältanteckningar, fotodokumentation och intervjuer.Ungdomarnas fascination av mangaserier kan delvis förklaras med att de ritas i ett utstuderat ”filmiskt” maner, med snabba bildväxlingar och många olika bildvinklar, och delvis med att läsaren kan följa protagonistens utveckling under många år, parallellt med sin egen utveckling till ett vuxnare jag. Kulturyttringen uppmuntrar även till eget medskapande och egenamatörmanga-produktion, vilket medför att många ungdomar publicerar sitt eget material,både i pappersform och på internet. Detta gör fenomenet förhållandevis ohierarkiskt.Manga/anime-traditionen är ofta ironisk och lekfull, motiven i den tidiga sekventiellabildkonsten i Japan hämtades från nöjes- och teatervärlden, men under den flamsiga ytan döljsofta allvarliga resonemang. Berättartraditionen kan uppfattas utifrån tre olika modus: vardagligt, humoristiskt och poetiskt. Ungdomarna kan i postmodernistisk anda ta del av det främmande och egendomliga, men kan också; när de själva vill, stänga av och avskärma sigifrån det.Estetiken betecknas av eklekticism, brottstycken, lekfull inställning till form och konventionoch raserandet av hierarkiska traditionerna. Könsroller utmanas med crossdressing, och demanliga protagonisterna ritas ofta med påfallande feminina anletsdrag. Uppsatsen beskriverdetta med bakgrund av queerteoriska tankegångar, där en given norm ifrågasätts. Läsandet avserietidningar har nästan alltid betraktats nedlåtande, med någon form av moralpanik i sitt kölvatten. Detta kan betraktas som en reaktion mot en pågående modernisering. Resultatet av uppsatsen visar inte på någon större förändring i det traditionella könsrollstänkandet, men en viss omformulering pågår.

Detta examensarbete behandlar genus inom cosplaykulturen, specifikt den delen av kulturendär man väljer att ändra på en karaktärs identitet genom genderbend. Karaktären i fråga får enny könsidentitet. Jag som forskare är själv aktiv medlem och väl bekant med cosplaykulturen.Att arbeta med genus inom skola är viktigt, speciellt för de ungdomar som själva är mitt iprocessen av att finna sin plats i sig själv och i samhället. Cosplay är en kultur som för mångaungdomar blir en del av deras liv och ett sätt för identitetskapande. Att säga att cosplay endastär en skaparhobby som inte skulle ha något med identitetskapande är ignorant och därförviktigt att undersöka den som en ungdomskultur. Syftet med undersökningen är att se hurgenusidentiteter framträder inom cosplay, både bland karaktärerna och bland de som iklär sigde. Syftet är även att få en fördjupad kunskap om unga och deras identitetsarbete i relation tillen skolkontext.Denna undersökning lyckades jag även identifiera hur mitt cosplayskapande ser ut, där jagtvärt emot min fokusgrupp är intresserad av att bli så lik en karaktär som möjligt. Medansderas motiv till att förändra en karaktärs identitet hade att göra med att de anpassadekaraktären till sin egen identitet och därmed låta sig själva få skina igenom karaktären när deär utklädda, vill jag snarare att karaktärens identitet ska ta över min så att jag för tillfället kanfå vara lite mer ut av en pirat eller en prinsessa istället för mig själv. Detta presenteras främst imin gestaltning där jag skapat ett altarliknande monument som kretsar kring en specifikkaraktär jag vill fortsätta jobba med efter denna undersökning. Altaret är byggt på material,tyger, skisser och anteckningar som jag samlat på mig under processen av denna karaktär.Altaret var ett sätt att låta betraktare få en känsla och förståelse för hur jag kan uppfattacosplayprocessen, där det både kan vara en inspirerande underkastelse till karaktären likt ettandaktigt avgudande, men också något dramatiskt och överväldigande.

As popular culture has an increasing presence in America, so do its various sub-cultures. One of such sub-cultures is the world of comic book fans known as cosplayers. Cosplayers dress-up and emulate characters at comic book conventions throughout the United States and the world—a practice known as cosplay, also described as costume-play. Despite the growing popularity of cosplay, little is known about this population. In this research, I set out to answer the following research question: why are women choosing to dress-up and embody these characters (the Gotham City Sirens) when they are often viewed as oversexualized. In order to answer my research question, I focused on women who chose to cosplay characters from the Gotham City Sirens – Catwoman, Harley Quinn, and Poison Ivy – who are frequently depicted in “glamorized” or hypersexualized illustrations. My data collection included participant observation, literature review, and semi-structured interviews. Recruiting participants from local Central Florida comic book conventions, I conducted 19 in-depth semi-structured interviews with the women cosplayers about their perspectives on the characters and their cosplays. My findings derived from the analysis of the interview narratives identified three emerging dominant themes – sexuality, body image, and personal identity. Based on this research, there is a concluding realization that empowerment and self-reflection are prevalent in women cosplayers. These are important findings because they are essential to the understanding of how gender identity is perceived in cosplay. When cosplayers connect with their characters on a personal level, often empowerment and self-reflection are the outcomes; due to the connection they foster with the character for the sake of performance.