Dylan Kyung-Lim Bentley White discusses how Zines foster community-building
On April 17th, 2024, Dylan Kyung-Lim Bentley White, Stanford Editor of Anthropology and Asian Studies, spoke at the Orfalea Center about his experiences with the world of Zines and publishing. He explored the accessibility and community-building aspects of Zines, the political potential of publishing alternative media, and the tension between zine culture's inherent anti-authoritarianism and its adoption in academic settings. During his presentation, Dylan engaged the audience with a variety of Zines from his personal collection. These Zines were not merely props but central to his discussion, offering tangible examples that complemented the themes he explored. Zines are a DIY short self and/or collectively published, self and/or collectively-distributed booklets that can take whatever form the author wants. Zines are underground, they're horizontalist, they have a physicality and ephemerality to them. Zines are experimental in form and content, and encourage collectivity or collaboration; they’re also weird. These are all reasons that Dylan loves Zines.
The Zines Dylan shared cover a wide range of topics and formats, reflecting the eclectic and boundary-pushing nature of the medium. Some Zines delve into underground and alternative cultures, tracing histories of punk rock, feminist movements, and independent publishing. Others explore political themes, such as activism, social justice, and critiques of mainstream media and technology. Through these Zines, Dylan illustrated how this medium serves as a powerful tool for personal expression, community building, and political resistance, all while maintaining a strong anti-authoritarian spirit.
Zine History
Historical background is crucial to understanding Zines today. Considering alternative or underground publishing, rather than general pamphlet making, an “origin” point for “Zines” starts in the 1940s as communities of sci-fi, horror, or other genre fiction came together to discuss their favorite works and write fanzines. Maintaining an alternative space and voice continued to drive rock n’ roll Zines into the 1960s and 70s in opposition to more established publications like Rolling Stone. It wasn't until the 1990s, Dylan stated, that “the current and contemporary iteration of Zines really [found] its roots” with the feminist publication Riot Girl, and a growing culture around it. Zines then became an avenue through which feminists in the punk scene could circulate information amongst themselves. “Think of it as a prototype for all the sort of stuff that one might do or say on social media or in a blog,” Dylan said.
Dylan Kyung-Lim Bentley White shares his zine collection with the audience
What’s Not to Love?
Dylan spoke not as an academic, but as someone who has grown up with Zines; he conveyed this to the audience, sharing the aspects of Zine culture that he fell in love with. First was the “underground” aspect of the culture. “They're hard to find, they're a little mysterious, and you don't know where they're coming from.” Related to this is the horizontal orientation to Zines, Zine making and Zine culture. The barrier to entry is extremely low: “Do you have an idea or half an idea? Some paper and a long arm stapler and maybe a copy machine?” Dylan posed to the audience, “If you do, you can make a Zine. There's something very empowering in the fact that the barrier to entry is so low, that they're so easy to make and that they're so self self-directed… they're cheap to make.”
People create Zines to be read and circulated; because they have an idea to get out into the world. In this way, Zines are social. Dylan commented on the physical nature of Zines as a point of attraction, specifically the physicalities involved in the Zine community. Zines are versatile in the way they gather people together for contributions. Zine festivals and conventions are held across the US, where selling and displaying Zines is egalitarian: table set-up is first come first served. “There's this network of people that are interested in Zines that are all over the place. But that's one of the things that kept me in the Zine world – how they [Zines] became an excuse to meet and talk with and become friends with people who also loved alternative forms of art, writing and media,” said Dylan.
An Alternative, Open, and Retro Creation
Zines represent another aspect of the pre-digital consumer age as anti-copyright products. Given the extensive history of the Zine as a medium of physical space, we can see them as a legacy medium in today’s digital world, not only in their distribution, but as a rarified physical item. While limited in number and classified as an older medium, Zines still exist as a contemporary model for open access publishing and knowledge distribution. Their makers and producers are seldom concerned when it comes to copyright: “A lot of makers actually put an anti-copyright statement on them. They're very pro open-access.” said Dylan, “So even though there are probably no more than 50 or 100 other copies of this thing existing in the world, no Zine maker would be mad at someone, I think at least, dismantling the Zine, scanning every page and printing it and distributing it themselves [for no profit].” Through this extension, a particular Zine can become better-known and more popular than during its original run.
The different shapes of zines were one of the key highlights
Anonymity
Juxtaposed to our hyper-vigilant, exposed digital world, Zines can also be untraceable. Dylan provided a personal example where he gave Zines to independent bookstores to sell without expecting a profit. “I liked the idea of them circulating in this space and then going out into the world…being able to imagine the life that they're taking on, but also that mystery of not being able to know where they're actually going.” Digital media often breeds surveillance, a fact that underscores the untraceability of Zines. Knowing that they can be political, many communities or authors can distribute an idea anonymously in a Zine without clear authorship. While these efforts exist, Dylan added that, “of course, a lot of Zine makers are very proud of what they're doing. Especially in this day and age, you'll often see Twitter or Instagram or other social media handles on the back of people's Zines.”
Zines are Flexible and Experimental
Another component of Zine’s physicality is their many shapes, sizes, and materials. There are no rules as to where you fold the paper, how you cut it or where and in what direction the words flow. This heterogeneity is crucial to alternative knowledge productions, as David stated: “And especially as a writer and a poet, I like the notion of formal experimentation, not only on the level of language but also on the level of the object. When you're thinking about producing knowledge, sometimes the production of knowledge requires a new form. It stands to reason that not all knowledge is best conveyed or understood in a traditional, text-on-the-page format, presented in a very staid fashion. There might be a way to express emotion through the formal aspects of how something is created.” Tied to their experimental nature is their reputation for being political, as many Zines tackle serious activist and political issues. “That has been one of the ways that Zines have been used throughout the years – as a tool for political messaging or to experiment with political ideas. You can work through something, send it out there and then let it exist and see what comes back or doesn't,” said Dylan.
From Zines to Academia
Dylan’s transition from making and collecting Zines into academic publishing was unplanned yet natural, as both share a commitment to unique, niche ideas over profit. After moving to North Carolina, he found work at J&J Editorial, which eventually led him to UNC Press. Here, Dylan saw a strong connection between Zines and university press publishing, which both foster spaces for unconventional, passion-driven projects not bound by mainstream interests. Much like Zines, university press books are often driven by a deep commitment to ideas that may not be profitable but are valuable for their content and impact. “University press books, much like Zines, aren’t about chasing trends or profit; they’re about putting something meaningful into the world, something that people might come back to in a decade and still find valuable.” This alignment with the spirit of Zine culture – authentic, community-focused, and enduring – makes his work in academic publishing a meaningful extension of his dedication to sharing powerful, lasting ideas.
UCSB professors Raquel Pacheco (left) and Debanuj DasGupta (right), both members of the Orfalea Center's Global Gender & Sexualities Cluster, were discussants at the session
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