The Prime-Time Presidency: The West Wing and U.S. Nationalism

247 Pages·2006·1.343 MB·English

by  Trevor Parry-Giles, Shawn J. Parry-Giles

The
PRIM E-TIME
PRESIDENCY
THE
WEST WING
and U. S. Nationalism
Trevor Parry-Giles and
Shawn J. Parry-Giles
00.front.i-xii_Parry-Giles 12/12/05 4:40 PM Page i
The Prime-Time Presidency
00.front.i-xii_Parry-Giles 12/12/05 4:40 PM Page ii
00.front.i-xii_Parry-Giles 12/12/05 4:40 PM Page iii
The Prime-Time
Presidency
The West Wing and U.S. Nationalism
trevor parry-giles and
shawn j. parry-giles
university of illinois press
Urbana and Chicago
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© 2006by Trevor Parry-Giles and Shawn J.Parry-Giles
All rights reserved
Manufactured in the United States ofAmerica
1 2 3 4 5 c p 5 4 3 2 1
∞ This book is printed on acid-free paper.
Library ofCongress Cataloging-in-Publication Data
Parry-Giles,Trevor,1963–
The prime-time presidency :the West Wing and U.S.nationalism /
Trevor Parry-Giles and Shawn J.Parry-Giles.
p. cm.
Includes bibliographical references and index.
isbn-13:978-0-252-03065-9(cloth :alk.paper)
isbn-10:0-252-03065-6(cloth :alk.paper)
isbn-13:978-0-252-07312-0(pbk.:alk.paper)
isbn:0-252-07312-6(pbk.:alk.paper) 1.West Wing (Television
program) I.Parry-Giles,Shawn J.,1960– II.Title.
pn1992.77.w44p37 2006
791.45′72—dc22 2005021529
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To Samuel B.and Eliam T.
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Contents
Acknowledgments ix
Introduction:The Presidency,Prime-Time Popular Culture,
and U.S.Nationalism 1
1. The West Wingas a Political Romance 21
2. Gendered Nationalism and The West Wing 54
3. Racialized Nationalism and The West Wing 87
4. Militarized Nationalism and The West Wing 118
5. The West Wing’s Prime-Time Nationalism 151
Appendix A:The West WingEpisode Directory 173
Appendix B:The West WingCharacter Directory 179
Notes 183
Bibliography 203
Index 223
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Acknowledgments
our interest in The West Wing began,like so many other avid
viewers,with the show’s debut in 1999and has not waned since.Our aca-
demic interest in the program began at almost the same time,and along the
way numerous individuals have contributed to our thinking about the pro-
gram,the issues it raises,and its ideological meaning for U.S.political cul-
ture.
Shawn’s interest in matters ofnationalism began with an independent study
at Monmouth College that brought together several scholars from various dis-
ciplines (art,communication,English,government and politics,and history)
as well as several undergraduate students interested in cultural studies.She
thanks those scholars for their discussions related to theories ofnationalism
and globalism,particularly Farhat Haq,Cheryl Meeker,Jan Stirm,and Simon
Cordery.
Shawn’s study ofnationalism expanded once she came to the University
ofMaryland and was invited to participate in two summer programs as part
ofthe International Institute in Women’s Studies,“Theories and Practices of
Difference” and “Commonality,” sponsored by the Department ofWomen’s
Studies and the Curriculum Transformation Project.First,she thanks Claire
Moses for her mentorship and for inviting her to become an affiliate faculty
member with women’s studies.In addition,she thanks Seung-kyung Kim and
Deborah Rosenfelt for inviting her to participate in the summer conferences
and Bonnie Thorton Dill for her insights on matters ofintersectionality.Fi-
nally,she acknowledges two graduate students from women’s studies—Luh
Ayu Prasetyaningsih and Na-Young Lee—with whom she worked on an in-