Performing Fantasy and Reality in Contemporary Culture - of Fantasy

In this review of Performing Fantasy and Reality in Contemporary Culture, the author Anastasia Seregina offers a focused, theory-driven examination of fantasy as an embodied and negotiated practice. The book is best for readers who want a scholarly, ethnographic angle on how fantasy operates in everyday life and in group practices such as live action role-playing. Its single biggest strength is the consistent application of performance theory to multidisciplinary material, which yields clear insights into how fantasy shapes identities, communities, and meanings.

Key Features

• Performance theory lens: The book uses performance theory to make sense of fantasy as a social and bodily phenomenon, giving readers a coherent interpretive framework.
• Ethnographic research: Detailed fieldwork on live action role-playing provides concrete examples that illustrate theoretical claims about engagement and negotiation.
• Art-based methods: Incorporates art-based approaches that deepen discussion of how fantasy is enacted and perceived in contemporary Western settings.
• Multidisciplinary scope: Draws on literature across sociology, cultural studies, and cognitive perspectives to situate fantasy within broader social life.
• Focus on everyday consequences: Connects fantasy to identities, desires, and community formation, making abstract ideas relevant to lived experience.

Who It's For

This book is aimed at graduate students, researchers, and advanced undergraduates in sociology, cultural studies, and psychology who want a concentrated study of fantasy through the lens of performance. Practitioners interested in role-playing communities, art-based research, or the social construction of meaning will find the ethnographic sections particularly useful.

Readers seeking a general-interest primer on fantasy or a broad survey of popular culture may find the approach dense and theoretically oriented; those readers should look for a more introductory or wide-ranging cultural studies text instead.

Pros & Cons

Pros

• Clear theoretical framing that consistently ties observations back to performance theory.
• Rich ethnographic detail from live action role-playing that supports claims with lived examples.
• Thoughtful linkage of fantasy to identity and community that expands the concept beyond simple imagination.

Cons

• The book's specialized approach may feel dense for casual readers seeking a lighter survey of fantasy in popular culture.

Specifications

Title	Performing Fantasy and Reality in Contemporary Culture
Series	Routledge Advances in Sociology
Author	Anastasia Seregina
Subject areas	Sociology; Cultural studies; Cognitive and behavioral perspectives
Primary focus	Fantasy as performance and negotiated practice
Research methods	Ethnography and art-based research on live action role-playing

Our Verdict

Performing Fantasy and Reality is a valuable, theory-rich study for readers who want a rigorous, ethnographic account of fantasy as a social and bodily practice. Its focused use of performance theory and art-based methods makes it good value for scholars and students who need a concentrated, research-driven treatment rather than a general overview.

Frequently Asked Questions

Does this book include original research?
Yes, it includes ethnographic and art-based research focused on live action role-playing communities.

Is the book suitable for beginners?
It is best suited to readers with some background in sociology or cultural studies rather than complete beginners.

What theoretical approach does the author use?
The author applies performance theory to understand fantasy as a bodily and negotiated phenomenon.