"Posts" in the zombie apocalypse: post-feminism and postracial discourses in The Walking Dead and Z Nation. Issue 3 (2nd April 2020)

• Record Type: Journal Article
• Authors: Bennett, Brooke
• Is Part Of: Feminist media studies. Volume 20:Issue 3(2020)
• Page Start: 311
• Page End: 324
• Publication Date: 2020-04-02
• Subjects: Zombies -- race -- gender -- The Walking Dead -- Z Nation; Feminism -- Periodicals; Women in mass media -- Periodicals; Mass media and women -- Periodicals; Feminist criticism -- Periodicals; Mass media and sex -- Periodicals; 302.23082
• DOI: 10.1080/14680777.2019.1595695
• Languages: English
• ISSNs: 1468-0777

Abstract

ABSTRACT: AMC's The Walking Dead and Syfy's Z Nation present post-apocalyptic zombie worlds reflective of both gender and racial politics. In this paper, I argue via a feminist textual analysis that Z Nation serves as a critique of TWD as it tends to intertextually parody TWD 's conservative politics which are deeply entrenched in post-feminist and postracial ideologies. I analyze the multicultural casts, the images of the "strong black woman, " and the featured white male leaders with police/military backgrounds in each of the series. In short, Z Nation 's incorporation of these elements becomes a playful irony that works to critically deconstruct the racial and gendered politics within TWD .