Dawson\u27s Creek: A Critical Understanding

This book provides a textual analysis of the WB\u27s (Warner Brothers Television) hit teen drama that ran from 1998 to 2003. Author Lori Bindig analyzes episodes of Dawson\u27s Creek as a set of media texts that blur the boundaries between hegemonic and counter-hegemonic content. Exploring the ideology encoded within Dawson\u27s 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\u27s 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\u27s 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