Publication Date

Fall 2019

Degree Type

Thesis

Degree Name

Master of Arts (MA)

Department

Anthropology

Advisor

Roberto Gonzalez

Keywords

Comics, DC, Gender, Marvel, Minorities, Women

Subject Areas

Cultural anthropology; Literature; History

Abstract

The focus of this research is to examine the representation of women and minority groups within comic books. Comic books are a cultural product that involves many actors when it comes to changing the representations of women and minorities. Therefore, this research focused on examining not only literary works but also the actions and contributions of producers and consumers throughout the publication of American comics. In the chapters, I examined the various representations of women, African Americans, Latinos, Native Americans, and Asians in comic books. To conduct my research on changing cultural productions, I used the method of textual analysis and the concept of intersectionality to examine the cultural and historical aspects within character representations in comic books. Throughout this research, I found that the actions of cultural actors determined the directions that these various representations in comic books would take. I came to understand that the representations of women and minority groups in comic books are based on concepts of the cultural norms, expectations, and even the stereotypes surrounding how these groups are regarded in American society throughout time.

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