Black Women, K-pop, and Global Fandom: A Critical Intersectional Review

This study systematically reviews and investigates the relationship between African American and K-pop fandom, examining how hybridity, cultural appropriation, racial capitalism, and identity work shape their participation in a globalised cultural form. A thematic literature review was conducted, drawing on 62 peer-reviewed literature sources published between 2000 and 2024. Databases searched included Web of Science, Scopus, ProQuest, and Google Scholar. Keywords included K-pop, Black women, fandom, intersectionality, cultural appropriation, racial capitalism, and hybridity. Inclusion criteria prioritised works addressing race, gender, and fandom politics in relation to Korean popular culture. The analysis identifies five interlinked contradictions shaping Black women’s positionality in K-pop fandom: (1) the simultaneous familiarity and distance produced by K-pop’s Black cultural foundations, (2) the celebration of Black aesthetics alongside their erasure within industry structures, (3) the provision of gendered affective alternatives tempered by persistent stereotypes, (4) the coexistence of inclusive branding and anti-Black exclusion in fandom spaces, and (5) the tension between identity re-creation, activism, and the policing of critique. This review addresses a critical gap in fandom studies by centring Black women’s perspectives, revealing how their cultural affinity for K-pop coexists with racialised marginalisation, and developing a transferable framework for analysing contradictions in other transnational popular cultures. Highlights Reveals how K-pop’s African American cultural roots foster affinity while industry structures perpetuate racial exclusion Identifies five interlinked themes: hybridity, cultural appropriation, gendered affective connections, anti-Blackness, and identity re-creation. Demonstrates how Black women use fandom as a site for activism, cultural translation, and resistance. Offers a transferable framework for studying race, gender, and global fandom politics across transnational popular cultures.