情景喜剧是美国经久不衰、最受欢迎的电视节目之一。尽管如此，情景喜剧却没有受到评论界足够的重视。本书从后殖民的视角，综合话语分析及符号学理论，定量分析与定性分析相结合，对20世纪90年代一些最有影响的黑人情景喜剧、亚裔人情景喜剧、白人情景喜剧进行了深入的探讨。

情景喜剧是美国经久不衰、最受欢迎的电视节目之一。尽管如此，情景喜剧却没有受到评论界足够的重视。本书从后殖民的视角，综合话语分析及符号学理论，定量分析与定性分析相结合，对20世纪90年代一些最有影响的黑人情景喜剧、亚裔人情景喜剧、白人情景喜剧进行了深入的探讨。研究发现，90年代情景喜剧中的种族性再现是各种社会力量角逐的结果，是多种不同声音竞争话语权的产物。90年代情景喜剧深深地打上了白人至、父权为中心、资本主义的主流意识形态的烙印。情景喜剧是不同种族再现其存在、争夺其意义与快乐的空间、场所。

Chapter 1 Introduction: Approaching Sitcom Representation

 1.1 Taking Sitcoms Seriously

 1.2 Theoretical Framework

1.2.1 Televisual Text, Audience and Discourse

1.2.2 Theories of Comedy: Aristotle, Kant and Freud

1.2.3 Representations of Ethnicity

 1.3 Methodology

 1.4 Structure

 1.5 Selection of Texts

Chapter 2 The Making of Sitcom

 2.1 What is Sitcom?

 2.2 Characteristics of Sitcom

 2.3 Types of Siteom

2.3.1 Domestic and Non-domestic Sitcoms

2.3.2 Family and Workplace Sitcoms

2.3.3 Actcom, Domcom and Dramedy

 2.4 Ideology in Sitcom

Chapter 3 Ethnicity in American Sitcoms from 1950s to

 3.1 Colors in Siteom

3.1.1 1950s: Appearance of Colors

3.1.2 1960s: Dis-appearance of Colors

3.1.3 1970s : Return of Colors

3.1.4 1980s: Celebrating Color Black

 3.2 Major Features of Representations in Siteoms

3.2.1 Domination of Whiteness

3.2.2 Black and White Binary

3.2.3 Negative Images

3.2.4 Ambivalence in Ethnic Discourse

 3.3 Politics of Representation

3.3.1 Constructing Positive Images

3.3.2 (Cultural) Assimilation

3.3.3 Living with Differences

Chapter 4 Representing Ethnidty in Non-white American Sitcoms in the 1990s

 4.1 The 1990s: A Different World?

4.1.1 General Social Political Context

4.1.2 Demographic Growth and Non-white Spending

4.1.3 Television Industry

 4.2 Representations of Ethnicity in Non-white Sitcoms

4.2.1 Black Sitcoms

 4.2.1.1 Commercial Networks Vying for the Market

 4.2.1.2 Black's Presence and Portraits

 4.2.1.3 Multiplicity/Diversity/Heterogeneity in Representing Blackness

4.2.2 Asian American Sitcoms

 4.2.2.1 Asian Americans in the 1990s

 4.2.2.2 Televisual Representations of Asian Americans

 4.2.2.3 All-American Girl

4.2.3 Invisibility of Hispanic and Native American Sitcoms

Chapter 5 Representing "the Other" in White Sitcoms: A Quantitative Study of Seinfeld and Friends

 5.1 Stories of the Whites: Plot Summary of Seinfeld and Friends

5.1.1 Seinfeld: A Show About Nothing

5.1.2 Friends : A Story of Friendship and More

 5.2 Methodology

 5.3 Categorization

5.3.1 Race

5.3.2 Gender

5.3.3 Profession

5.3.4 Class

5.3.5 Name and Articulation

5.3.6 Personal Relations

 5.4 Results and Discussion

5.4.1 White Domination

5.4.2 Unbanlaced Presence Among Peoples of Color

5.4.3 Difference in Gender Casting

5.4.4 Wide Range of Professions

5.4.5 Middle Class Privileged

5.4.6 Unnamed and Inarticulated

5.4.7 Extensive Inter-racial Contact

Chapter 6 Representing "the Other" in White Sitcoms: A Qualitative Study of Seinfeld and Friends

 6.1 White Skin Black Masks: Representations of Jewishness

 6.2 Perfect "Bitch" : Women of Color

 6.3 Winner or Loser: Colored Men

 6.4 Witch Girl and Clown Boy: Colored Children

 6.5 Normalcy, Stereotyping, and Racism

Chapter 7 Conclusion: Sitcom Situates Ethnidty

 7.1 Knowledge Derived From the Study

 7.2 Sitcom Situates Ethnicity

 7.3 Implications for Future Sitcoms

 7.4 Further Research

Bibliography

Appendix Ⅰ

Appendix Ⅱ