Il cosplay e le culture giovanili: interazione sociale, emozioni mediali e performance identitarie

Abstract

The cosplay, as a subculture, is a complex and stratified media and socio-cultural phenomenon. The approach chosen in the study of some dimensions of the cosplay is that of the sociology of youth cultures. The first dimension analyzed concerns the distribution of symbolic capital (and in particular of subcultural capital) among the members of the cosplay groups, determining hierarchies and status. Secondly, we explored the social dimension of the phenomenon, using Georg Simmel’s sociology and, in detail, the concept of ‛sociability’ and the dynamics between individualization and homologation. Other dimensions explored concern fandom and media enthusiasm, the mediatization of experience, identity performances. The goal of the paper is to restore the complexity of cosplay, which is configured as a place of consumption, identity building and social interaction. Our analysis also focuses on the identity status of cosplayers, emphasizing their ability to produce performances in which the relationship with the characters of the beloved cultural heritage (manga and anime) is dramatized and staged.