Tribal Warfare

Survivor and the Political Unconscious of Reality Television

Tribal Warfare

Survivor and the Political Unconscious of Reality Television

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Description

Tribal Warfare thoroughly investigates a central element of the hit reality television show Survivor that the existing literature on reality television has overlooked: class politics. Christopher J. Wright combines textual analysis and survey research to demonstrate that Survivor operates and resonates as a political allegory. Using the work of Fredric Jameson, this book reveals how Survivor frames its "characters" as "haves" and "have-nots." For those new to Jameson, Wright breaks down the theorist's complex notion of the political unconscious into easily understandable language. Furthermore, using the results of a survey of Survivor viewers, Tribal Warfare demonstrates that viewers divide along gender, racial, age, and-most significantly-class-related lines in their consumption of, and reaction to, the program. The first book to explore the premise of "Survivor as society," this unique work serves as both an engaging analysis of a popular television program and a highly readable primer for those new to critical theory.

Chapter 1 "Interrogating the Obvious": Survivor, Cultural Touchstore
Chapter 2 "You Cannot Talk to the Guys in the Boat": Survivor as the False Real
Chapter 3 "Apparently Reprehensible Material": The Political Unconscious and Popular Culture
Chapter 4 "If It Happens Again . . .": Repression and the Tagi Alliance
Chapter 5 "They're All Lying to Me": Repression among Contestants
Chapter 6 "A Really Passionate Affair": Repression through Editing
Chapter 7 "These Three Girls Have All Been Riding Coattails": Survivor's Gender Wars
Chapter 8 "Thrashing around Like I'm Thirty-Five": Paradoxes of Aging on Survivor
Chapter 9 "This Thing Runs Deeper Than a Game": Survivor's Trouble with Race
Chapter 10 "Always Historicize!": Symbolic Resolutions and Contemporary Politics
Chapter 11 Appendix A: Synopses of the First Eleven Survivor Seasons
Chapter 12 Appendix B: Contestant Profiles and Ratings
Chapter 13 Appendix C: Methodology

Product details

Published	15 Jun 2006
Format	Ebook (Epub & Mobi)
Edition	1st
Extent	222
ISBN	9780739162026
Imprint	Lexington Books
Series	Critical Studies in Television
Publisher	Bloomsbury Publishing

Author

Christopher J. Wright

Christopher J. Wright began writing about politica…

Tribal Warfare offers a fascinating political analysis of a television and cultural phenomenon. Wright reveals the meaning behind Survivor's alliances, challenges and torch-snuffings-demonstrating that the program's tribes have spoken in more ways than one.

Dan Bollinger and Louise Wezzie Craven, Survivor Maps
Wright's fascinating in-depth analysis adds a cultural relevance to Survivor beyond its entertainment value. You do not need to have seen the show to appreciate his research into the political and racial undertones and sociological impact of reality television. Tribal Warfare legitimizes discussion of Survivor as a literary topic.

Brian Corridan, Survivor: Guatemala
This is a delightful and thorough study of the politics and ideologyof the ''reality'' TV show Survivor.

The Journal of Popular Culture
The writing is dynamic and the ideas compelling.

Communication Booknotes Quarterly
This work takes reality television seriously and examines the underlying messages of the popular Survivor series deliberately, consequently shedding light over the social dynamics within the series and among the viewers. Everyone studying reality television should read this book.

Matthew J. Smith, Wittenberg University