In my senior year at the University of Mary Washington (UMW), I conducted independent research on Asian American representations in American sitcoms. This paper was submitted to the Communication and Digital Studies Department at UMW for departmental honors and was published in Eagle Scholar.

Abstract

Representation of minorities in the media is powerful in shaping the public’s perceptions of a community or group. Some well-known Asian stereotypes are that they are good at math, tiger moms, and foreigners.  In the literature review, I found that in addition to those common stereotypes, Asians were commonly portrayed as model minority myth, kung fu master, dragon lady/lotus blossom, and family-oriented. Using a quantitative content analysis approach, I examined how Asian Americans are portrayed in American sitcoms and searched for positive and negative representations. I analyzed 24 episodes of Fresh Off The Boat, which aired from 2015 to 2020 about an Asian American family living in Florida in the 1990s. Stereotypes were present throughout the show, and I found those stereotypes produced positive, negative, and neutral representations of Asian Americans. This research was conducted in COMM 460 under the guidance of Dr. Adria Goldman.