Seeing the Future Through the Eyes of the Past: Chinese Perceptions of Traditional Values in Star Trek: The Next Generation

Authors

Charles W. Elliott, Cedarville UniversityFollow
G. Wilson

Document Type

Article

Publication Date

Winter 1996

Journal Title

World Communication

Volume

25

Issue

1

First Page

31

Last Page

41

Abstract

While an abundance of research has been conducted examining representations of the family on television, little has been done to explore how those representations are understood by audiences receiving them. This research considered how the family representations on a Western television program, Star Trek: The Next Generation, were perceived by individuals from a collectivist society. There were no significant differences between groups of Chinese subjects on the basis of Chinese/Western nor Modern!fraditional orientation. Uniformity of responses seem to be linked to the influence of the family as a powerful frame of reference from which assessments were made.

Keywords

Television programs, families, values, China

Recommended Citation

Elliott, Charles W. and Wilson, G., "Seeing the Future Through the Eyes of the Past: Chinese Perceptions of Traditional Values in Star Trek: The Next Generation" (1996). Communication Faculty Publications. 43.
https://digitalcommons.cedarville.edu/media_and_applied_communications_publications/43