Jennifer's Cosplay Research Project

Between the months of January and May of 2005, I did an anthropological research project on cosplayers. This project was done at Colorado State University.
Seeing that there's very little research out there on this whatsoever, I've decided to post all my findings for anyone who's interested.
The project involved ethnographic research including participant observation and interviews. I also used methods such as free listing and worksheets given to my participants to obtain data. Finally, I created a survey to test my theory on a larger number of people.
The survey generated a lot of fun, so I've posted a lot of things below having to do with it. Most of the prose is gathered from instant messages and emails sent to various people concerning issues about the survey and the topics therein, so forgive my casual prose. If you're looking for real research, read my final paper and possibly the survey results.
By the way, all of this research is my own work, copyrighted to me.
Names have been altered where necessary, so no one can sue me.
Also, if you find any errors or misinformation, or are particularly offended by something I say and need me to change it, feel free to email me at Jenshinobi@gmail.com


Funny story about survey results
Survey Question Analysis
Survey Results
My final paper
Cosplaying Schemas
The ability to Relate to Characters


If you want more information, or just want to talk to me about cosplay my email address is jenshinobi@gmail.com

I found a very interesting article that mentions cosplaying, what girls look for in characters, and crossdressing in anime and comics. I translated this article here:
Shojo Kakumei Utena (Revolutionary Utena) - Interview with the Director
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