Reckoning with the Past

National Geographic and the Limits of Social Justice Rhetoric

Häftad, Engelska, 2026

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For over a century, National Geographic has shaped American visual culture, captivating audiences with stunning photography and compelling storytelling. Yet behind its iconic yellow border lies a fraught legacy of gender bias, racial misrepresentation, and colonialist narratives.In this incisive study, Leland G. Spencer examines the brand's recent attempts to reckon with that legacy across its magazine and television platforms. From special issues spotlighting transgender lives, to a public acknowledgment of past racism, to a magazine edition created entirely by women, these efforts signal a move toward inclusivity. But as Spencer reveals through rigorous rhetorical analysis, these gestures often fall short. The texts themselves frequently echo the same systemic inequalities they seek to redress. National Geographic's progressive rebranding, he argues, remains tangled in the very histories it aims to transcend.

Produktinformation

Utgivningsdatum2026-07-01
Mått152 x 229 x 15 mm
Vikt340 g
FormatHäftad
SpråkEngelska
Antal sidor200
FörlagMichigan State University Press
ISBN9781611865714

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Leland G. Spencer is professor and chair in the Department of Women’s and Gender Studies at the University of South Carolina. He is the author of Rape, Agency, and Carceral Solutions and Women Bishops and Rhetorics of Shalom, and he has won the Randy Majors Award from the Caucus on Gay, Lesbian, Bisexual, Transgender, and Queer Concerns of the National Communication Association, the Janice Hocker Rushing Award from the Southern States Communication Association (SSCA), and the Gender Studies Scholar of the Year Award from the Gender Studies Division of SSCA.

“Leland Spencer makes a much-needed contribution to the communication discipline and larger cultural conversation with his critique of an iconic magazine that, for more than one hundred years, has ‘othered’ faces and places in the name of education. His careful analysis of the 2016–17 turn toward social justice—with special issues and documentaries on race and gender—reveals a small shift missing the mark on opportunities to construct and communicate messages that counter U.S. American–centric meanings in worldmaking.” —Karla D. Scott, Professor of Communication, Saint Louis University