Intersectional Feminist Approaches to Orange is the New Black is a book-length study about the popular Netflix series, Orange is the New Black that I am co-editing with Dr. Adrienne Trier-Bieniek, currently under review. Nominated for twelve Emmy Awards in its first seaso
n, the show has garnered both critical and popular attention for its innovative use of streaming technology, which has produced the cultural phenomenon of “binge-watching,” as well as its breakthrough characters, who have pushed the boundaries of how women are represented on television. The show has sparked considerable debate in academic communities surrounding its depiction of social class, race, gender, sexual orientation, power, privilege, motherhood, the prison system and the criminal justice system. This collection of essays lays the groundwork for an academic dialogue about the series’ depictions of gender, power and privilege, from an intersectional perspective that considers the overlapping axes of race, class, gender, and sexuality.
