I Am ARMY: We don’t need permission

Edited by Wallea Eaglehawk, Michelle Bùi Hoàng & M. Anastasia Kinderman

I Am ARMY: We don't need permission is a study of fandom, of identity, and the potential of mass social power in the name of self-love. For as long as fandoms are devalued, there will be a need for books such as this. A greater understanding and appreciation of ARMY is needed. This book shows that to know ARMY, to see them and hold space for all their complexities, is to know the world.

Within these pages you will find experiences ranging from the mundane of daily life to the extremes of sorrow, from small moments of joy to existential philosophising on identity. There are ten stories of how BTS has changed, shaped, inspired, disrupted and saved lives of ARMY from around the world. Ten different experiences of the same phenomenon. Ten different ways ARMY have not sought permission to be themselves, oftentimes the journey being just that–one of discovering, through BTS, that we do not need permission at all.

We don’t need permission to be ARMY. We don’t need permission to find joy with BTS. We don’t need permission to express our desires, hopes and dreams. We don’t need permission to work together to show our love for music, for art, for one another. We don’t need permission to explore and express who we are. We don’t need permission to live life on our own terms. And, if BTS have taught us anything, we definitely don’t need permission to love ourselves, even in our darkest hour, even on our darkest of days.

I Am ARMY: It’s time to begin (2nd ed.)

Edited by Wallea Eaglehawk & Courtney Lazore

The identity of ARMY, the dynamic global fanbase of Korean music group BTS, is complex and nuanced. I Am ARMY locates, documents, and celebrates just some of the unique identities within the diverse fandom. A collection of autoethnographic essays, each chapter in this book contains an ARMY experience which transcends the personal entirely. As such they sit as part of a broader socio-political examination and critique of the world we live in today. I Am ARMY gives the reader a chance to immerse themselves in the world of an ARMY living an entirely different life, and the opportunity to understand just how socially constructed and influenced our lived-experiences truly are.

Co-editor Eaglehawk frames the socio-political stories in I Am ARMY as accounts of ‘practicing revolutionaries’ and introduces BTS as ‘participatory revolutionaries’. Drawing upon universal truths detailed throughout the book, Eaglehawk develops a set of components for what she calls the ‘Love Yourself, Speak Yourself Revolution’ which is currently underway.

Within this book, you will find the answers to questions such as: “why are fandoms devalued?”, “how can I learn to love myself?” and “how can I be a feminist and an ARMY?” Above all else, you will find a little piece of yourself written on the page; for each of us are ARMY, each of us are human. I Am ARMY serves as a reminder that despite how disconnected we may feel from the world, how disheartened or downtrodden, we are not alone; ARMY or not.

BTS BY ARMY: 2020

Edited by Wallea Eaglehawk

BTS by ARMY: 2020 shares the journey of Grammy-nominated BTS during the year 2020. From their chart-topping Map of the Soul: 7 to surviving the pandemic together and creating BE featuring Billboard Hot 100 #1s Dynamite and Life Goes On, every moment is compiled to provide an authentic and dynamic profile of the group, and each member throughout the year. A culmination of interviews, lyrical analysis, live performances, and more, these profiles show the journey of RM, Jin, Suga, j-hope, Jimin, V, and Jung Kook from the unique perspective of some of those who walked with them every step of the way: ARMY.