Description
In less than a century, the flickering blue-gray light of the television screen has become a cultural icon. What do the images transmitted by that screen tell us about power, authority, gender stereotypes, and ideology in the United States? Television, History, and American Culture addresses this question by illuminating how television both reflects and influences American culture and identity.
The essays collected here focus on women in front of, behind, and on the TV screen, as producers, viewers, and characters. Using feminist and historical criticism, the contributors investigate how television has shaped our understanding of gender, power, race, ethnicity, and sexuality from the 1950s to the present. The topics range from the role that women broadcasters played in radio and early television to the attempts of Desilu Productions to present acceptable images of Hispanic identity, from the impact of TV talk shows on public discourse and the politics of offering viewers positive images of fat women to the negotiation of civil rights, feminism, and abortion rights on news programs and shows such as I Spy and Peyton Place.
Innovative and accessible, this book will appeal to those interested in women's studies, American studies, and popular culture and the critical study of television.
Investigates how television has shaped our understanding of gender, power, race, ethnicity, and sexuality from the 1950s to the present
About the Author
Reviews
"Reading this collection will be a tonic for anyone wearied by ongoing assaults on feminism and cultural studies as having passed their prime; these essays suggest a vital field of inquiry and a vibrant political spirit . . . The contributors list reads like a who's who of American feminist television studies."- Henry Jenkins, editor of Children's Culture Reader
Book Information
ISBN 9780822323945
Author Mary Beth Haralovich
Format Paperback
Page Count 232
Imprint Duke University Press
Publisher Duke University Press
The essays collected here focus on women in front of, behind, and on the TV screen, as producers, viewers, and characters. Using feminist and historical criticism, the contributors investigate how television has shaped our understanding of gender, power, race, ethnicity, and sexuality from the 1950s to the present. The topics range from the role that women broadcasters played in radio and early television to the attempts of Desilu Productions to present acceptable images of Hispanic identity, from the impact of TV talk shows on public discourse and the politics of offering viewers positive images of fat women to the negotiation of civil rights, feminism, and abortion rights on news programs and shows such as I Spy and Peyton Place.
Innovative and accessible, this book will appeal to those interested in women's studies, American studies, and popular culture and the critical study of television.
Contributors. Julie D'Acci, Mary Desjardins, Jane Feuer, Mary Beth Haralovich, Michele Hilmes, Moya Luckett, Lauren Rabinovitz, Jane M. Shattuc, Mark Williams
Investigates how television has shaped our understanding of gender, power, race, ethnicity, and sexuality from the 1950s to the present
About the Author
Mary Beth Haralovich is Associate Professor of Media Arts at the University of Arizona.
Lauren Rabinovitz is Professor of American Studies and Film Studies at the University of Iowa.
Reviews
"Reading this collection will be a tonic for anyone wearied by ongoing assaults on feminism and cultural studies as having passed their prime; these essays suggest a vital field of inquiry and a vibrant political spirit . . . The contributors list reads like a who's who of American feminist television studies."- Henry Jenkins, editor of Children's Culture Reader
Book Information
ISBN 9780822323945
Author Mary Beth Haralovich
Format Paperback
Page Count 232
Imprint Duke University Press
Publisher Duke University Press
