Feminism, Gender, and Politics in NBC's Parks and Recreation

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by Erika Engstrom

Type: Essays
Subject: One Film > Parks and Recreation (TV Series)
Keywords: TV Series, gender
Publishing date: 2017
Publisher: Peter Lang
Language: English

Relative size

Physical desc.

Paperback • 146 pages
6 x 9 inches (15 x 23 cm)

ISBN

978-1-4331-3355-8

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Book Presentation:
Widely hailed as one of the best feminist-oriented series on television, NBC’s Parks and Recreation (2009–2015) presents a multifaceted text for examining the incorporation of feminist ideology into its storylines. This book analyzes the various ways the series presented feminism as a positive force, such as the satirical portrayal of patriarchy; alternative depictions of masculinity; the feminist ideology and political career of main character Leslie Knope; the inclusion of actual political figures; and depictions of love and romance as related to feminist thinking. A much-needed treatment that adds to the literature on feminism in media and popular culture, this book serves as an ideal resource for instructors and scholars of gender and mass media, women’s studies, and media criticism by investigating Parks and Recreation’s place in the continuum of other feminist-leaning television programs.

About the Author:
Erika Engstrom (Ph.D., University of Florida) is Professor of Communication Studies at the University of Nevada, Las Vegas. She is the author of The Bride Factory: Mass Media Portrayals of Women and Weddings (Peter Lang, 2011) and co-author of Mad Men and Working Women: Feminist Perspectives on Historical Power, Resistance, and Otherness (Peter Lang, 2014).

Press Reviews:
"Overall, Erika Engstrom's Feminism, Gender, and Politics in NBC's Parks and Recreation is a welcome resource for instructors and students who wish to analyze popular culture in order to understand the social construction of gender. It might even suffice to get the author's portrait added to Leslie Knope's Wall of Inspirational Women." --Gina Sully, Popular Culture Review, 2017

"Engstrom's detailed analysis of the series provides excellent insight into mediated examples of second- and third-wave feminist theory...This book provides an exceptional opportunity for faculty to watch episodes of Parks and Recreation and discuss those episodes with the guidance of a theoretically-grounded analysis of cultural production."--Ann Marie Major, Journalism and Mass Communication Educator

"Feminism, Gender, and Politics in NBC's Parks and Recreation stands as a significant contribution to the overall study of both popular culture and the continuum of feminist discussions related to it. It provides both a well-defined theoretical foundation for Engstrom's discussion of the show as well as particular examples of how theory attaches to specific elements within episodes. The result is a highly digestible tome that is well worth the read."--Vincent Filak, University of Wisconsin, Oshkosh, UNLV Innovation Magazine, 2018

See the publisher website: Peter Lang

See Parks and Recreation (TV Series) (2009–2015) on IMDB ...

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