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Book
Dawson's Creek: A Critical Understanding
Communication, Media & The Arts Faculty Publications
  • Lori Bindig, Sacred Heart University
Document Type
Book
Publication Date
1-1-2008
Abstract

This book provides a textual analysis of the WB's (Warner Brothers Television) 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.

Comments

Lexington Books, 2008. ISBN 9780739122228; 9780739122228 (pbk.)

Citation Information

Bindig, Lori. Dawson's Creek: A Critical Understanding. Lanham, Md.: Lexington Books, 2008.