Dawson's Creek: A Critical Understanding provides a textual analysis of the WB's hit teen drama that ran from 1998 to 2003. Author Lori Bindig analyzes episodes of Dawson's Creek as a set of media texts that blur the boundaries between hegemonic and counter-hegemonic content. Exploring the ideology encoded within Dawson's Creek from a feminist cultural studies perspective, Bindig examines gender, race, class, sexuality, and consumerism as it is presented in the show. The depiction of each of these five ideological concepts is discussed beyond the framework of the series and put into a larger social context, allowing a discussion of the potential ramifications of the television program. This book suggests that although Dawson's Creek includes counter-hegemonic story lines, ultimately the political-economic realities of the current media system undercuts the oppositional content and frames the program as hegemonic. Nevertheless, Dawson's Creek is a valuable tool in navigating the ongoing struggle against social inequality, illustrating how far society has come and how far it has yet to go.

About the Author
Lori Bindig is a PhD candidate in communication at the University of Massachusetts, Amherst.

Reviews
Dawson's Creek: A Critical Understanding impressively deconstructs one of the most influential and popular "Teen TV" programs in history. Using detailed analysis, Lori Bindig highlights the symbolic complexity of the series and illustrates how youth culture intersects with different ideological dimensions, including gender, race, class, sexual orientation and brand-obsessed consumption. -- Matthew P. McAllister, Pennsylvania State University



Book Information
ISBN 9780739122228
Author Lori Bindig
Format Paperback
Page Count 188
Imprint Lexington Books
Publisher Lexington Books
Weight(grams) 286g
Dimensions(mm) 230mm * 153mm * 14mm