Tribal Warfare

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 "e;characters"e; as "e;haves"e; and "e;have-nots."e; 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 "e;Survivor as society,"e; 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.