Robert Stebbins (1992) notes that amateurs occupy a marginal position in many cultural fields. Yet amateur pursuits offer more expressive and fulfilling alternatives to dominant, casual leisure forms. This article refines Stebbins's work on amateurs by considering how karaoke performers overcome role conflict and achieve role embracement. It recounts how karaoke bar patrons accomplish their decisions to perform and their actual performances. It concludes with some reflections on the future of karaoke as a modern amateur activity.
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