If a Tree Falls in the Forest: The Role of Community Formation and the Power of the Individual in Zine Making Participation

Zine making is a complex practice, rich in parallel traditions and historical engagement in a number of vocal creative and social communities. Drawing on data from thirty-two depth interviews conducted in Australia, Europe and the United States, this study was concerned with the question of whether the processes of identification and articulation into a community were critical to the decision by an individual to make zines and to what extent does the community influence these individuals as they engage in zine making practice? We found that although personal reasons for zine making were explicitly described by a number of respondents, there were few examples where altruistic community engagement was explicitly cited. There was also significant porosity between any discussion of community and the role that person played or sought from it.