This is it

Michael Jackson fans are shaping a meaningful life through their idol

Michael Jackson’s passing in 2009 was grieved around the world. To this day, commemoration practices in memory of the pop star take place, such as a monthly virtual prayer and an annual pilgrimage. For her PhD research, religious studies expert Fardo Eringa investigated these practices and the impact that the pop star has on the life principles of his followers. She concluded that Jackson pilgrims deliberately draw on their ‘fandom’ to construct their worldviews and to express their activist, idealistic characters.

Michael Jackson passed away unexpectedly on 25 June 2009. In the aftermath following his death, fans organized commemoration practices in memory of the King of Pop to express their devotion and to process their loss. Fans call it ‘Michaeling’. Eringa investigated Jackson’s followers and used them as an example of how popular culture can produce specific rituals that can be leading and formative for a meaningful, moral life.

Central to the research are 26 adult women above the age of 45 who have committed themselves to following Jackson as their moral compass in their daily lives. Inspired by his life and music, they attempt to make themselves and the world around them a better place. Eringa: ‘The fans use Jackson’s music to steer their emotions and their moral compass and to experience their spirituality. They use their identity as fans in the forming of their worldviews and in the cultivation of an activist nature.’

Read more in our press release

Dissertation: http://hdl.handle.net/11370/87ca90f6-c4d5-4f26-8cd7-36cf2f95215f