Negotiating images of the Chinese : representations of contemporary Chinese and Chinese Americans on US television

Abstract

China's rise has led to increased interest in the representation of Chinese culture and identity, especially in Western popular culture. While Chinese and Chinese American characters are increasingly found in television and films, the literature on their media representation, especially in television dramas is limited. Most studies tend to focus on audience reception with little concentration on a show's substantive content or style. This thesis helps to fill the gap by exploring how Chinese and Chinese American characters are portrayed and how these portrayals effect audiences' attitude from both an in-group and out-group perspective. The thesis focuses on four popular US based television dramas aired between 2010 to 2018. Drawing on stereotype and stereotyping theories, applying visual analysis and critical discourse analysis, this thesis explores the main stereotypes of the Chinese, dhow they are presented, and their impact. I focus on the themes of enemies, model minority, female representations, and the accepted others. Based on the idea that the media can both construct and reflect the beliefs and ideologies of a society I ask how representational practice and discursive formations signify difference and 'otherness' in relation to Chinese and Chinese Americans. I argue that while there has been progress in the representation of Chinese and Chinese Americans, they are still underrepresented on the screen. More importantly, their portrayal largely adheres to long-standing stereotypical representations from early 20th century film.