Feminism, Gender, and Politics in NBC¿s «Parks and Recreation»

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).

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.