Chinese College Global Generations’ Interpretation Of Ethnic Minorities Represented In American TV Series

Since the 1980s,American TV series have been well received in China,which caused some scholars and policy makers to be vigilant.They believe that American TV series are the carriers of American media imperialism.Although the creator’s agenda is difficult to measure,how the audience interprets it and whether their idea is affected can be examined through empirical research.Most American TV fans belong to the”global generation".This paper intends to verify whether the argument of American TV series as a carrier of media imperialism is true by studying the way in which Chinese college students interpret the image of ethnic minorities represented in American TV series.The first and second chapters of this paper briefly describe the background,purposes and significance of the research.The third chapter reviews the theoretical context and connotation of media imperialism and“active audience”in cross-cultural communication.It also reviews the research of American TV fans in China,the general image of ethnic minorities in American drama and Chinese people’s views on other ethnic groups.Chapters 4 and 5 present research questions,hypotheses,and research methods.Chapters 6 and 7 present research findings,including textual analysis of the American drama Modern Family,and the interpretations of a focus group about these images and its influencing factors.Chapter 8 presents conclusions and reflections.This paper finds that although Modern Family reflects racial diversity and has some progressive significance,the ethnic minorities still presents the features of stereotypes.In the focus group discussion,the proportion of critical interpretation is higher than the reference interpretation.The respondents who have the experience of studying abroad and watching American dramas adopted more critical interpretations;the less experienced respondents use the reference interpretation to make a one-sided and negative impression on minorities.The results show that Chinese college global generations are not as vulnerable as the media imperialism theory suggests.Instead,they actively engage in selective interpretation,and the better they know the background of the text and the genre,the more likely they would adopt the critical interpretation.All in all,this paper believes that the introduction and dissemination of high-quality cross-cultural products in China should be encouraged,so as to promote the communication of Chinese and foreign culture.