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.

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.

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