Overview

Considering a variety of female superhero narratives, including World War II-era Wonder Woman comics, the 1970s television programs The Secrets of Isis and The Bionic Woman, and the more recent Buffy the Vampire Slayer, Education and the Female Superhero: Slayers, Cyborgs, Sorority Sisters, and Schoolteachers argues that they share a vision of education as the path to female empowerment. In his analysis, Andrew L. Grunzke examines female superheroes who are literally teachers or students, exploring examples of female superheroes whose alter egos work as schoolteachers or attend school during the workday and fight evildoers when they are outside the classroom. Taking a broader view of education, Grunzke argues that the superheroine in popular media often sees and articulates her own role as being an educator. In these narratives, female superheroes often take it upon themselves to teach self-defense tactics, prevent victimization, and encourage people (especially female victims) to pursue formal education. Moreover, Grunzke shows how superheroines tend to see their relationship with their adversaries as rehabilitative and educative, trying to set them on the correct path rather than merely subdue or dominate them.

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9781498596862

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Andrew Grunzke does a deep dive into the decades-long history of the female superhero within the historical context of gender attitudes. He reveals how media representations educated audiences in multiple ways-conforming to, responding to, and at times challenging both cultural expectations and societal changes. This is truly a thought-provoking and deftly-analyzed work! -- Eileen H. Tamura, Co-editor, The Oxford Handbook of the History of Education In this wonderfully creative book, Andrew Grunzke explores the impact of gender on the development of female superheroes, with thoughtful speculation on why so many are educators. Some of their alter-egos are actual teachers, while all of these superheroes approach crime-fighting as educators, teaching their enemies and trying to change their behavior. What does it say about our views of female empowerment, Grunzke asks, that these powerful heroes are connected to a field socially constructed as both feminine and sometimes lacking in power? With a keen historian's eye focused imaginatively on comics and television, he explores how cultural attitudes about gender have intersected around schooling and the growth of popular culture. -- Linda Eisenmann, Wheaton College Situating his argument historically and sociologically, Grunzke analyzes the identities and stories of Wonder Woman, Isis, The Bionic Woman, and Buffy the Vampire Slayer to illustrate how female superheroes have been used as a vehicle for both forwarding and constraining feminist messages. Grunzke analyzes the characteristics and dispositions of female superheroes and how these simultaneously empower and disempower them; female superheroes both supersede and remain anchored in the patriarchy. The educator role of female superheroes makes them complex, collaborative, and empathetic but also positions them as less independent and less decisive than male superheroes. Readers discover how our country's tumultuous, complex negotiation of gender roles, sexual objectification, and feminist movements and backlash can be examined through the female superhero. This book is essential reading for anyone interested in female superheroes and who is interested in how pop culture educates us about feminism, gender roles, and power. -- Autumn Dodge, University of Lynchburg

Author Information

Andrew L. Grunzke is associate professor of education at Mercer University.

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