Autism spectrum disorder in contemporary American sitcoms: Narrative and social implication

IF 0.9 2区 艺术学 0 FILM, RADIO, TELEVISION Critical Studies in Television Pub Date : 2023-03-09 DOI:10.1177/17496020231163306
Betty Kaklamanidou
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Abstract

The Big Bang Theory, Atypical and Community are sitcoms paradigmatic of a recent representational shift, in which center stage is assumed by individuals who face psychological and neurological challenges. Sheldon Cooper ( TBBT), Sam Gardner ( Atypical) and Abed Nadir ( Community) are young male protagonists who all fall somewhere on the spectrum of autism. These representations signal a breakthrough from past, mainly cinematic depictions, which stereotypically addressed mentally challenged individuals as unstable, problematic, and crazy. Our goal is to examine the narrative and social function of autism in these three sitcoms. The theoretical context uses Thomas Elsaesser ’s concept of “productive pathologies” (2009) to argue that autism is also a “productive pathology” that can be applied in the study of contemporary sitcoms. Autism spectrum disorder as a “productive pathology” is then combined with the Incongruity Theory of humour in order to analyze how Sheldon’s, Sam’s and Abed’s developmental disorder is used to create a distinct type of incongruous comedy and at the same time destabilize notions of identity and social “propriety.”
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当代美国情景喜剧中的自闭症谱系障碍:叙事和社会含义
《生活大爆炸》、《非典型》和《社区》是最近代表性转变的情景喜剧典范,在这些情景喜剧中,面临心理和神经挑战的个体占据了舞台的中心。谢尔顿·库珀(《黑道神探》)、山姆·加德纳(《非典型》)和阿布德·纳迪尔(《社区》)是三名年轻的男主角,他们都患有自闭症。这些表现标志着过去的突破,主要是电影的描述,这些刻板印象将精神上有挑战的人描述为不稳定,有问题和疯狂。我们的目标是研究这三部情景喜剧中自闭症的叙事和社会功能。理论背景使用Thomas Elsaesser的“生产性病理学”(2009)的概念来论证自闭症也是一种可以应用于当代情景喜剧研究的“生产性病理学”。自闭症谱系障碍作为一种“生产性病理学”,然后与幽默的不协调理论相结合,以分析谢尔登、山姆和阿布蒂的发育障碍如何被用来创造一种独特的不协调喜剧,同时破坏身份和社会“得体”的概念。
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来源期刊
Critical Studies in Television
Critical Studies in Television FILM, RADIO, TELEVISION-
CiteScore
2.10
自引率
30.00%
发文量
70
期刊介绍: Critical Studies in Television publishes articles that draw together divergent disciplines and different ways of thinking, to promote and advance television as a distinct academic discipline. It welcomes contributions on any aspect of television—production studies and institutional histories, audience and reception studies, theoretical approaches, conceptual paradigms and pedagogical questions. It continues to invite analyses of the compositional principles and aesthetics of texts, as well as contextual matters relating to both contemporary and past productions. CST also features book reviews, dossiers and debates. The journal is scholarly but accessible, dedicated to generating new knowledge and fostering a dynamic intellectual platform for television studies.
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