The Export of Meaning: Cross-Cultural Readings of Dallas (Communication and Society) [Hardcover]

Tamar Liebes (Author), Elihu Katz (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: April 12, 1990 | ISBN-10: 0195054873 | ISBN-13: 978-0195054873

Is there really a global village out there? It may be true that the whole world is watching Dallas and Dynasty, but is everyone seeing the same story? It is a fashionable worry among academics, critics and politicians that American hit programs are agents of cultural imperialism. Until now, however, nobody has known what message, if any, the viewer is actually getting and what critical capabilities he or she commands. In this book, Katz and Liebes analyze conversations about Dallas among groups of families and friends in six different sub-cultures in Israel (where the program was an all-time best-seller), in Japan (where it was rejected), and in the U.S. (the original target audience). The authors propose that there is a process of negotiation between these quintessentially American stories and what the viewers bring to them: their life experiences, the "texts" of their culture, and their expectations from the genre of family drama. A study of these negotiations leads to a typology of "readings" ranging from those that connect the characters with reality to those that find pleasure in the way the puzzle is put together. Concluding that television viewers possess considerably more critical ability than they are often given credit for, this fascinating study will interest a wide range of students and academics in communications, anthropology, literature, semiotics, sociology, and education.

Editorial Reviews

Review

'This is an important book that thoroughly deserves the attention it will no doubt get from media scholars in many countries ... The authors ... deserve, above all, our admiration for making a major contribution to furthering our understanding not only of cultural imperialism but of the fundamental processes of media consumption.' Journal of Communication

'... A new edition of the provocative 1990 book by veteran international communication scholar Elihu Katz and his colleague Tamar Liebes.' Media Information Australia --This text refers to the Paperback edition.

From the Back Cover

Is there really a global village out there? It may be true that the whole world watches Dallas and Dynasty, but is everyone seeing the same story? It is a fashionable worry among academics, critics and politicians that American hit programmes are agents of cultural imperialism. But nobody knows what message, if any, the viewers are actually getting and what critical capabilities they command.

In this path-breaking book, now available in paperback, Liebes and Katz analyse conversations about Dallas among groups of families and friends in different sub-cultures: in Israel (where the programme was an all-time best-seller), in Japan (where it was rejected), and in the US (the original target audience). The authors propose that there is a process of negotiation between these quintessentially American stories and what the viewers bring to them: their life experiences, the ‘texts’ of their culture, and their expectations from the genres of family drama. Through a detailed study of how individuals in different contexts interpret popular TV fiction, Liebes and Katz show that viewers possess a good deal more critical ability than they are commonly given credit for.

The Export of Meaning has already established itself as a classic text in media studies, cultural studies and communications. The paperback edition, which includes a new Introduction by the authors, will be widely recommended to students. --This text refers to the Paperback edition.

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Hardcover: 208 pages
• Publisher: Oxford University Press, USA (April 12, 1990)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0195054873
• ISBN-13: 978-0195054873
• Product Dimensions: 9.3 x 6.7 x 1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 14.4 ounces
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #3,273,180 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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