In this Book

buy this book Buy This Book in Print
summary
Native Americans have been a constant fixture on television, from the dawn of broadcasting, when the iconic Indian head test pattern was frequently used during station sign-ons and sign-offs, to the present. In this first comprehensive history of indigenous people in television sitcoms, Dustin Tahmahkera examines the way Native people have been represented in the genre. Analyzing dozens of television comedies from the United States and Canada, Tahmahkera questions assumptions that Native representations on TV are inherently stereotypical and escapist. From The Andy Griffith Show and F-Troop to The Brady Bunch, King of the Hill, and the Native-produced sitcom, Mixed Blessings, Tahmahkera argues that sitcoms not only represent Native people as objects of humor but also provide a forum for social and political commentary on indigenous-settler relations and competing visions of America.

Considering indigenous people as actors, producers, and viewers of sitcoms as well as subjects of comedic portrayals, Tribal Television underscores the complexity of Indian representations, showing that sitcoms are critical contributors to the formation of contemporary indigenous identities and relationships between Native and non-Native people.

Table of Contents

restricted access Download Full Book
  1. Cover
  2. restricted access
    • Download PDF Download
  1. Title Page, Copyright Page
  2. restricted access
    • Download PDF Download
  1. Contents
  2. restricted access
    • Download PDF Download
  1. List of Illustrations
  2. restricted access
    • Download PDF Download
  1. Preface: Sign-on: A Sitcom Kid
  2. pp. xi-xviii
  3. restricted access
    • Download PDF Download
  1. Introduction: Decolonized Viewing, Decolonizing Views
  2. pp. 1-36
  3. restricted access
    • Download PDF Download
  1. 1. New Frontier Televisions
  2. pp. 37-69
  3. restricted access
    • Download PDF Download
  1. 2. Settler Self-Determination
  2. pp. 70-105
  3. restricted access
    • Download PDF Download
  1. 3. The Neo-Indian in King of the Hill
  2. pp. 106-138
  3. restricted access
    • Download PDF Download
  1. 4. Sitcom Sovereignty in Mixed Blessings
  2. pp. 139-166
  3. restricted access
    • Download PDF Download
  1. Conclusion. Sign-off: Digital Test Patterns
  2. pp. 167-176
  3. restricted access
    • Download PDF Download
  1. Notes
  2. pp. 177-208
  3. restricted access
    • Download PDF Download
  1. Bibliography
  2. pp. 209-224
  3. restricted access
    • Download PDF Download
  1. Acknowledgments: Closing Credits
  2. pp. 225-226
  3. restricted access
    • Download PDF Download
  1. Index
  2. pp. 227-244
  3. restricted access
    • Download PDF Download
Back To Top

This website uses cookies to ensure you get the best experience on our website. Without cookies your experience may not be seamless.