Jensen's thought-provoking and well-researched book is sure to spark conversation among historians of education and childhood, as well as scholars interested in the transnational and global movement of media and ideas.

Leslie Harris, Diplomatic History

The comparative approach puts the interaction between local and global, region and regions to the forefront, and illustrates the differences in the Workshop's strategies and attempts between different regions in the transnational expansion of Sesame Street [...] Through these case studies and archival materials, Jensen not only illustrates that children's media is not a 'culturally free' product but demonstrates the culturally different views of childhood, education, and television, enriching the cultural dimension of transnational history.

Wanqiao Chen, Historical Journal of Film, Radio and Television

In Sesame Street: A Transnational History, author Helle Strandgaard Jensen tells the story of how the American television show became a global brand. Jensen argues that because the show's domestic production was not financially viable from the beginning, Sesame Street became a commodity that its producers assertively marketed all over the world. Sesame Street: A Transnational History combines archival research from seven countries, bolstering an insightful analysis of how local reception and rejection of the show related to the global sales strategies and American ideals it was built upon. Contrary to the producers' oft-publicized claims of Sesame Street's universality, the show was heavily shaped by a fixed set of assumptions about childhood, education, and commercial entertainment. This made sales difficult as Sesame Street met both skepticism and direct hostility from foreign television producers who did not share these ideals. Drawing on insights from new histories about childhood, education, and transnational media, the book lays bare a cultural clash of international proportions rooted in divergent approaches to children's television. In doing so, it provides a reflective backdrop to the many ongoing debates about children's media. In contrasting the positive receptions and renunciations of Sesame Street, Jensen demonstrates that it was only after a substantial rethinking of Sesame Street's aims and business model that this program ended up on numerous broadcasting schedules by the mid-1970s. Along the way, this rethinking and the constant negotiations with potential international buyers created and shaped the business and corporate brand that paved the way for the Sesame Street we know today.
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Preface INTRODUCTION Culture-Free TV? CHAPTER 1 Domestic Origins: The Workshop's Business Model CHAPTER 2 Ensuring Early Success: Strategies to Conquer the International Market CHAPTER 3 Ban and Bother: The Workshop's troubles in the UK CHAPTER 4 Negotiating Local Needs: Sesame Street in West Germany CHAPTER 5 Other Childhoods: Sesame Street in Scandinavia CONCLUSION Narrow Vision: Looking Back at a Global Success Consulted Archival Material Bibliography Index
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Jensen's thought-provoking and well-researched book is sure to spark conversation among historians of education and childhood, as well as scholars interested in the transnational and global movement of media and ideas.
Les mer
"Jensen's thought-provoking and well-researched book is sure to spark conversation among historians of education and childhood, as well as scholars interested in the transnational and global movement of media and ideas." -- Leslie Harris, Diplomatic History "The comparative approach puts the interaction between local and global, region and regions to the forefront, and illustrates the differences in the Workshop's strategies and attempts between different regions in the transnational expansion of Sesame Street [...] Through these case studies and archival materials, Jensen not only illustrates that children's media is not a 'culturally free' product but demonstrates the culturally different views of childhood, education, and television, enriching the cultural dimension of transnational history." -- Wanqiao Chen, Historical Journal of Film, Radio and Television
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Helle Strandgaard Jensen is Associate Professor in the Department of History and Classical Studies at Aarhus University, Denmark. She is the author of From Superman to Social Realism: Children's Media and Scandinavian Childhood. She holds a Ph.D. in History from the European University Institute in Florence, Italy, and has been a visiting fellow at universities in the UK, the US, Norway, and Sweden. Her work has appeared in Media History; Journal of Children and Media; Media, Culture & Society; Journal for the History of Childhood and Youth; The Programming Historian, and elsewhere. She holds a shared directorship at the Center for Digital History Aarhus. She lives in Åbyhøj, Denmark, and her favorite time is spent cooking, reading, and playing video games with her family.
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Selling point: Offers a historical examination of how media products become global brands Selling point: Utilizes material from archives in seven countries to discuss the international sales and reactions to Sesame Street Selling point: Uses Sesame Street to compare ideas of childhood and preschool education as well as different types of television production in several countries Selling point: Facilitates an interpretation of Sesame Street that challenges existing histories of the show in the US as well as abroad
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Produktdetaljer

ISBN
9780197554166
Publisert
2023
Utgiver
Vendor
Oxford University Press Inc
Vekt
417 gr
Høyde
158 mm
Bredde
235 mm
Dybde
17 mm
Aldersnivå
G, 01
Språk
Product language
Engelsk
Format
Product format
Heftet
Antall sider
288

Biographical note

Helle Strandgaard Jensen is Associate Professor in the Department of History and Classical Studies at Aarhus University, Denmark. She is the author of From Superman to Social Realism: Children's Media and Scandinavian Childhood. She holds a Ph.D. in History from the European University Institute in Florence, Italy, and has been a visiting fellow at universities in the UK, the US, Norway, and Sweden. Her work has appeared in Media History; Journal of Children and Media; Media, Culture & Society; Journal for the History of Childhood and Youth; The Programming Historian, and elsewhere. She holds a shared directorship at the Center for Digital History Aarhus. She lives in Åbyhøj, Denmark, and her favorite time is spent cooking, reading, and playing video games with her family.