Means Coleman makes a major contribution to the development of reception theories by focusing on African American audiences, and bringing their voices to bear on controversies over race and representation.

Providing new insight into key debates over race and representation in the media, this ethnographic study explores the ways in which African Americans have been depicted in Black situation comedies - from the 1950s Beulah to contemporary series like Martin and Living Single . As scholars increasingly turn their attention to how audiences interpret, use, and resist media texts, Means Coleman makes a major contribution to the development of reception theories by focusing on African American audiences, and bringing their voices to bear on controversies over race and representation.

Acknowledgments. Foreword, Alvin F. Poussant MD. 1. Introduction Part I. Black Situation comedies as Hyper-Racialized Images Introduction to Part I 2. Blackface 3. Blackface + Blackvoice 4. Blackface + Blackvoice = Black Situation Comedy Part II. African American Voices Situating Black Situation Comedy Introduction to Part II 5. Black Sitcoms Portrayals: The Good, the Bad, and the Worse 6. The Cosby Show 7. Black Like Me? Identity and Self Image 8. The Message,
The Impacts 9. Remedies: Where Do We Go From Here? Conclusion. Methodology Appendices. Appendix A: Black Situation Comedies Appendix B: Exemplar Probes Appendix C: Sample Case Report Appendix D: Sample Aggregate Constructions Notes. Selected Bibliography. Index.