Saara Ratilainen

Fans redefine geopolitical and gender-based boundaries: Shame [Skam], is a hit teen drama series produced by the Public Broadcasting Service in Norway. It ran for four seasons from 2015 to 2017 and became a global phenomenon through an active online fan culture. Remakes abound elsewhere, but Russian teens access Skam largely through social media as it has not been on mainstream TV. The intensity and creativity of Russian fandom points to fans as creators who are able to defy societal and cultural boundaries, not only with respect to conventional teen topics, but also to political ones such as gay relationships and LGTBQ rights. Through the series Oslo is branded as a well-functioning and beautiful city.

This presentation is from a transdisciplinary research workshop entitled Nordic Noir, Geopolitics and the North held at Aarhus University in October 2018.