Open Daily: 10am - 10pm | Alley door pickup 10am - 7pm 3038 Hennepin Ave Minneapolis, MN
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  • Open Daily: 10am - 10pm
    Alley-side Pickup: 10am - 7pm

    3038 Hennepin Ave Minneapolis, MN
    612-822-4611

Open Daily: 10am - 10pm | Alley-side Pickup: 10am - 7pm
3038 Hennepin Ave Minneapolis, MN
612-822-4611
Reckoning with the Past: National Geographic and the Limits of Social Justice Rhetoric

Reckoning with the Past: National Geographic and the Limits of Social Justice Rhetoric

Spencer, Leland G.

Paperback

General ReferenceGeneral Racism & Ethnic StudiesGeneral Sociology

ISBN10: 1611865719
ISBN13: 9781611865714
Publisher: Michigan State University Press
Published: Jul 1 2026
Pages: 200
Weight: 0.74
Height: 0.51 Width: 6.11 Depth: 9.01
Language: English

For over a century, National Geographic has shaped American visual culture, captivating audiences with stunning photography and compelling storytelling. Yet behind its iconic yellow border lies a fraught legacy of gender bias, racial misrepresentation, and colonialist narratives.In this incisive study, Leland G. Spencer examines the brand's recent attempts to reckon with that legacy across its magazine and television platforms. From special issues spotlighting transgender lives, to a public acknowledgment of past racism, to a magazine edition created entirely by women, these efforts signal a move toward inclusivity. But as Spencer reveals through rigorous rhetorical analysis, these gestures often fall short. The texts themselves frequently echo the same systemic inequalities they seek to redress. National Geographic's progressive rebranding, he argues, remains tangled in the very histories it aims to transcend.

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