Wakanda Forever: Women and Minorities in “Post-Racial” and “Post-Feminist” American Film and Television

Abstract

In a supposed post-racial and post-feminist world, the intersection between real life and the fantastical worlds in science fiction, superhero films and television can impact how we do or do not progress as a society. This research paper is a qualitative content analysis of six films and one television series that were produced after the year 2008. In analyzing the roles of women and minorities within these films and television series, I focused on how they were treated and portrayed by other characters and how that can be interpreted and/or emulated by the audience. For women and minority viewers, it is imperative that we begin including them in our media in order to reflect our progression. I question whether or not our society has truly progressed or if we are just blinded by the idea of post-racism and post feminism.