Introduction Performing stardom: star studies in transformation and expansion

This chapter aims to provide an overview and assessment of star studies as a vibrant research field in constant revision and expansion since the 1990s. It addresses two key features of stardom – performativity and locality/translocality – in relation to existing research and also to the chapters in this collection. The chapter analyses performativity of stardom by discussing different types of masquerade that have been employed in star performance including ethnicity, ageing, appearance, acting and camp. It also proposes to replace the existing national/transnational model in the discussion of stars with the framework of the local/translocal stardom, in order to deconstruct Hollywood-centrism inherent in star studies.