[Last modified: November, 21 2024 11:23 PM]
My pilot research project focuses on intimacy in COS-commissioned dating, specifically the dynamics between the commissioner and the commissioned (Coser). Although this research may seem politically irrelevant, it actually involves important political dimensions such as labour ethics, gender norms, and the commodification of emotional labour.
Certain political positions and assumptions are implicit in the project design itself. By examining COS-commissioned dating as a phenomenon worthy of academic inquiry, this design actually affirms the value of cosplayers’ emotional and performative labour. This stance challenges traditional notions of social stratification that tend to marginalise the practices of fan culture, and highlights the importance of emotional labour – a type of labour that is often undertaken by marginalised groups (including women and LGBTQ+ individuals). Such a framework also critiques the tendency of society in general to undervalue emotional and service labour.
As a researcher, my identity is inevitably intertwined with these political dimensions. As an outsider observing an industry centred on intimate and performative interactions, I am in a state of liminality: at once able to critique these practices from an academic perspective, but also potentially unintentionally exacerbating systemic power inequalities. Studying such a niche subculture may lead to its ‘othering’ or ‘alienation’, and my findings may be used to further commodify or regulate these interactions.
The political implications of my findings are manifold. On the one hand, it may reveal patterns of commodification of emotional labour and intimacy in the globalised economy, thereby challenging conventional notions of ‘real’ relationships. On the other hand, the research may also generate criticism, particularly from groups that see this commodification as exploitative or morally problematic. In addition, the findings of the research may also promote greater attention and recognition of the emotional labour of cosplayers, especially in the context of safeguarding their rights and autonomy from potentially precarious working environments.
In order to address these political factors, my research methodology needs to remain reflexive and participatory. I plan to do this through interviews with commissioners and Cosplayers, allowing their voices to shape the research narrative, rather than just filtering it through my analysis. Ethical issues will be prioritised in the research, particularly in terms of informed consent and protection of participant privacy, as the topic involves sensitive content on a personal level. At the same time, I will reflect critically on my research identity and the possible implications of the results to ensure that the research honours and benefits the communities in which the research participants are embedded, rather than using or exploiting them.