This Is It:the worldviews and fandom of female Michael Jackson-pilgrims and their journeys towards living Mike-Like

Michael Jackson’s death on 25 June 2009, the eve of his come-back tour, triggered a global outpouring of grief. Soon afterwards, fans started to create commemorative practices to honor the popstar. One of these practices is a pilgrimage dedicated to Jackson. Through traveling to ‘Michael-places’ many fans try to come to terms with their loss and express their dedication to Jackson. This research takes these followers of Jackson as a case study to investigate how popular culture can give rise to sacred forms that are constitutive and formative of meaningful, moral lives. In this research, I focus on the significance of fans’ embodied practices, underscoring in particular the reflexive power of popular music. I demonstrate that popular fan culture is the place par excellence to explore people’s day-to-day meaning-making in today’s world. The study of MJ-pilgrims offers insights into broader concepts of fandom and the sacred and sheds light on how modern people appropriate art and religious heritage to shape and express their worldview.This thesis sketches what a life “with” Michael entails for my research participants, including their untiring fight for justice, which has been rekindled by the recent allegations of child abuse against Michael Jackson – addressed in the documentary Leaving Neverland. Fardo reflects on three different cases studies, namely the online Major Love Prayer (MLP), the grassroots MJ-memorial in Munich, and the annual pilgrimage to Michael-places during Michael Week: the week before Jackson’s death day. Thus this thesis aims to contribute to a more adequate understanding of the interplay of fandom and faith in the 21st century