Native categories of shōjo manga reader communities of practice
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.35588/ayr.v8i1.7994Keywords:
native categories, shōjo manga, communities of practiceAbstract
This study proposes a relational systematization of native categories, understood as the terms and classifications that readers themselves use to name, evaluate, and interpret their readings, mobilized by Chilean shōjo manga readers. The problem addressed by the study lies in the fact that these ways of naming and evaluating reading experiences circulate widely within fan communities but have been scarcely described and analyzed in research on youth reading cultures and, when mentioned, tend to appear in a dispersed manner, without an analytical grouping that allows an understanding of their internal relations and how they function as a system of valuation. Methodologically, the study developed an exploratory qualitative design based on 27 semi-structured interviews with regular readers who actively participate in both in-person and digital circuits. Through open and axial coding, recurrent terms, oppositions, and discursive functions were identified, leading to the elaboration of a heuristic microtopology of four axes: (1) affective and experiential categories; (2) aesthetic-narrative categories; (3) moral and relational categories; and (4) belonging and legitimacy. The results show that these categories operate as a relational system of valuation that articulates affect, form, morality, and belonging, organizing the reading experience and the hierarchies of taste within the community.
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Copyright (c) 2026 Jorge Sánchez Sánchez, Victoria Jiménez
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