Japan on American TV explores political, economic, and cultural issues underlying depictions of Japan on U.S. television comedies and the programs they inspired. Since the 1950s, U.S. television programs have taken the role of “curators” of Japan, displaying and explaining selected aspects for viewers. Beliefs in U.S. hegemony over Japan underpin this curation process. Japan on American TV takes a historical perspective to understand the diversity of Japan parodies and examines six main categories of television portrayals representing different genres and comedic forms: (1) stereotypes of judo instructors (1950s and 1960s); (2) samurai parodies (prevalent in the 1970s); (3) the Bubble Economy Era in Sesame Street’s Big Bird in Japan (1988); (4) “Cool Japan” parodies (1990s through the present); (5) eager fans in sketch series (2010s); and (6) makeover reality shows (2019). These examples show changing patterns of cultural globalization and perpetuate national stereotypes while verifying Japan’s international influence. Television presents an alternative history of American fascinations with and fears of Japan.
Written in an accessible style that will appeal to scholars, teachers, students, and anyone with an interest in Japan and popular culture, as well as an ideal text for classroom use, Japan on American TV offers a gentle means to approach racism, cultural essentialism, cultural appropriation, and issues otherwise difficult to discuss and models new ways to apply knowledge of Asian Studies.
Giới thiệu về tác giả
ALISA FREEDMAN is a professor of Japanese literature, cultural studies, and gender at the University of Oregon. Her books include Japan on American TV: Screaming Samurai Join Anime Clubs in the Land of the Lost (AAS Asia Shorts book series, 2021); Tokyo in Transit: Japanese Culture on the Rails and Road (2010); an annotated translation of Kawabata Yasunari’s The Scarlet Gang of Asakusa (2005); a coedited volume on Modern Girls on the Go: Gender, Mobility, and Labor in Japan (2013); and an edited textbook on Introducing Japanese Popular Culture (first edition in 2017, second edition in 2023). She served as the editor in chief of the US–Japan Women’s Journal (2016–2022) and has published more than thirty-five articles and chapters for peer-reviewed journals and books, around twenty-five literary translations and co-translations, several guides to academic publishing, and numerous articles for general-interest publications. She is the Faculty Fellow of a university residence hall and has received a national award for her mentorship work. Alisa enjoys presenting at public events like cultural festivals, anime cons, and reading groups.
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