Nerds, Geeks, and the Hip/Square Dialectic in Contemporary Television

Despite the easily identifiable concept of a “nerd,” only a few significant articles on nerds and popular culture, and specifically television, exist. This article contributes to television studies by addressing this overlooked, yet popularly significant, representation and lived reality in terms of race, gender, and sexuality. The article introduces the hip/square dialectic and explores the sociocultural construction of nerds vis-à-vis the …