Academic Essay: Robin in Cultural Context


"Explodes with new insights and information about Batman's oft-neglected and marginalized sidekick." - Professor Henry Jenkins

Technically, this is two academic essays and an interview, but they're all in one pdf so let's call it a single piece for simplicity's sake.

In the 2000s I was a Masters student at the University of Melbourne, studying Robin as a queer and genderfluid figure. For personal reasons, I never completed the postgraduate degree, but I did complete the dissertation about Robin.

This essay is very much of its time, with references to Dexter, Eminem, and American Idol, but I believe it still has important things to say about Robin, especially in relation to gender in the essay "A Lot Like Robin if You Close Your Eyes".

So, enjoy! Here's the whole thing, for free:

Robin in Cultural Context