Lilly J. Goren – författare

The Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU) is the most expansive and widely viewed fictional narrative in the history of cinema. In 2009, Disney purchased Marvel Entertainment for $4 billion, including its subsidiary film production company, Marvel Studios. Since then, the MCU—the collection of multimedia Marvel Studios products that share a single fictional storyline—has grown from two feature films to thirty interconnected movies, nine streaming Disney+ series, a half dozen short films, and more than thirty print titles. By 2022, eight of the twenty-five highest grossing films of all time are MCU movies.

The MCU is a deeply political universe. Intentionally or not, the MCU sends fans scores of messages about a wide range of subjects related to government, public policy, and society. Some are overt, like the contentious debate about government and accountability at the heart of Captain America: Civil War. More often, however, the politics of the MCU are subtle, like the changing role of women from supporting characters (like Black Widow in Iron Man 2) to leading heroes (like Black Widow in Black Widow). The MCU is not only a product of contemporary politics, but many of its stories seem to be direct responses to the problems of the day. Racial injustice, environmental catastrophe, and political misinformation are not just contemporary social ills; they are also key thematic elements of recent MCU blockbusters.

In The Politics of the Marvel Cinematic Universe, more than twenty-five leading scholars examine these complex themes. Part one explores how political issues are depicted in the origin stories; part two examines how the MCU depicts classic political themes like government and power; and part three explores questions of diversity and representation in the MCU. The volume’s various chapters examine a wide range of topics: Black Panther and the “racial contract,” Captain America and the political philosophy of James Madison, Dr. Strange and colonial imperialism, S.H.I.E.L.D. and civil-military relations, Spider-Man and environmentalism, and Captain Marvel and second-wave feminism.

The Politics of the Marvel Cinematic Universe is the first book to look expansively at politics in the MCU and ask the question, “What lessons are this entertainment juggernaut teaching audiences about politics, society, power, gender, and inequality?”

A new volume of essays exploring the on-screen politics and real-world implications of the Marvel Cinematic Universe’s expansion into the multiverse.

As the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU) moved on from the Thanos storyline, it became more political than ever—both on screen and off.

Following up on their first volume about the politics of the MCU, editors Nicholas Carnes and Lilly J. Goren are back with a new volume of essays exploring the political worlds within and outside of the MCU, authored by leading experts on politics, philosophy, and popular culture. This second volume tackles the sprawling narratives in the MCU’s Phase 4, the movies, TV shows, and related content released in 2021 and 2022. During Phase 4, Marvel Studios released films at an unprecedented pace: seven in just two years, including titles like Black Widow, Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings, The Eternals, Spider-Man: No Way Home, and Black Panther: Wakanda Forever. Phase 4 also marked the start of the MCU’s move into streaming television, with shows like WandaVision, The Falcon and the Winter Soldier, Loki, Hawkeye, She-Hulk, and Moon Knight. With a fifty-hour combined runtime, Phase 4 included more new MCU content than Phases 1 through 3 (2008 through 2020) combined.

The chapters in this volume are organized in three parts that each explore a different aspect of the politics of Phase 4. In Part One, the authors examine “on-screen politics,” looking at the political messages (some subtle, some more explicit) in stories about Thor, the Eternals, She-Hulk, Spider-Man, Loki, and Captain America. Part Two explores the “off-screen” politics of the MCU’s fans, examining topics like political participation, partisanship, and whether MCU fans are more cynical about real-world politics. In Part Three, we face the perennial issues around representation—especially gender, race, and sexuality—that have long dominated popular and academic commentary on superhero fiction.

Like The Politics of the Marvel Cinematic Universe, Volume 1: The Infinity Saga, this is another indispensable guide to understanding how the MCU—a fundamental aspect of American pop culture—has a profound and complex relationship with American political life.

As the first female vice president takes office, this volume explores gender perceptions and the executive role: “An important, impressive book” (Lane Crothers, author of Globalization and American Popular Culture).   The president of the United States has traditionally served as a symbol of power, virtue, ability, dominance, popularity, and patriarchy. In recent years, however, a number of high-profile female candidacies have provoked new interest in gendered popular culture and how it influences Americans’ perceptions of the country's highest political office.   In this timely volume, editors Justin S. Vaughn and Lilly J. Goren lead a team of scholars in examining how the president and the first lady exist as a function of public expectations and cultural gender roles. The authors investigate how the candidates’ messages are conveyed, altered, and interpreted in “hard” and “soft” media forums, from the nightly news to daytime talk shows, and from tabloids to the blogosphere. They also address the portrayal of the presidency in film and television productions such as 1964’s Kisses for My President and 2005’s Commander in Chief. With its strong, multidisciplinary approach, Women and the White House commences a wider discussion about the growing possibility of a female president in the United States, the ways in which popular perceptions of gender will impact her leadership, and the cultural challenges she will face.

The president of the United States traditionally serves as a symbol of power, virtue, ability, dominance, popularity, and patriarchy. In recent years, however, the high-profile candidacies of Hillary Clinton, Sarah Palin, and Michelle Bachmann have provoked new interest in gendered popular culture and how it influences Americans'' perceptions of the country''s highest political office.

In this timely volume, editors Justin S. Vaughn and Lilly J. Goren lead a team of scholars in examining how the president and the first lady exist as a function of public expectations and cultural gender roles. The authors investigate how the candidates'' messages are conveyed, altered, and interpreted in "hard" and "soft" media forums, from the nightly news to daytime talk shows, and from tabloids to the blogosphere. They also address the portrayal of the presidency in film and television productions such as Kisses for My President (1964), Air Force One (1997), and Commander in Chief (2005).

With its strong, multidisciplinary approach, Women and the White House commences a wider discussion about the possibility of a female president in the United States, the ways in which popular perceptions of gender will impact her leadership, and the cultural challenges she will face.

The landmark 2008 presidential and vice presidential campaigns of Hillary Clinton and Sarah Palin brought the role of women in American leadership into sharper focus than ever before. These women and others such as Nancy Pelosi and Katie Couric who are successful in traditionally male-dominated fields, demonstrate how women''s roles have changed in the last thirty years. In the past, the nightly news was anchored by male journalists, presidential cabinets were composed solely of male advisors, and a female presidential candidate was an idea for the distant future, but the efforts of dedicated reformers have changed the social landscape. The empowerment of women is not limited to the political sphere, but is also echoed by the portrayal of women in film, television, magazines, and literature. You''ve Come a Long Way, Baby: Women, Politics, and Popular Culture investigates the role of popular culture in women''s lives. Framed by discussions of contemporary feminism, the volume examines gender in relation to sexuality, the workplace, consumerism, fashion, politics, and the beauty industry. In analyzing societal depictions of women, editor Lilly J. Goren and an impressive list of contributors illustrate how media reflects and shapes the feminine sense of power, identity, and the daily challenges of the twenty-first century. Along with a discussion of women in politics, various contributors examine a range of gender-related issues from modern motherhood and its implications for female independence to the roles of women and feminism in pop music. In addition, Natalie Fuehrer Taylor outlines the evolution of women''s magazines from Ladies'' Home Journal to Cosmopolitan. The impact of television and literature on body image issues is also explored by Linda Beail, who draws on trendy chick lit phenomena such as Gossip Girl and Sex and the City, and Emily Askew, who analyzes the effects of image transformation in programs such as The Swan and Extreme Makeover. As comprehensive as it is accessible, You''ve Come a Long Way, Baby is a practical guide to understanding modern gender roles. In tracing the different ways in which femininity is constructed and viewed, the book demonstrates how women have reclaimed traditionally domestic activities that include knitting, gardening, and cooking, as well as feminine symbols such as Barbie dolls, high heels, and lipstick. Though the demand for and pursuit of gender equality opened many doors, the contributors reveal that fictional women''s roles are often at odds with the daily experiences of most women. By employing an open approach rather than adhering to a single, narrow theory, You''ve Come a Long Way, Baby appeals not only to scholars and students of gender studies but to anyone interested in confronting the struggles and celebrating the achievements of women in modern society.