Perceptions of the United States and the Americans. The collage approach

Abstract

1 abstract -national and regional stereotypes are difficult to study in a practical manner. the Collage method, an experimental method for descriptive research material analysis, was designed to that end. it was first tested in a seven-nation survey of college and university students, on the sociotype of the United states and its typical inhabitants. among the samples the one collected in spain (Pais Vasco) was more critical and sometimes more realistic in its perceptions than the rest. the criticism focused on the Us way of life and especially on the nation's role in world politics. the positive aspects of the love-hate relationship with the Usa were mostly projected on the typically american female, whereas the male represented the majority of negative connotations. for the students, the typical Usa was located on the West Coast, in California. the perceptions were clearly influenced by Us media entertainment, in addition to more factual news media information. Keywords:Collage method, regional image, stereotype, ethnicity, the media, Usa, spain.Resumo -pErCEpçõEs dos Estados unidos E dos amEriCanos. o método dE ColagEm. existem problemas de ordem prática no estudo de estereótipos nacionais e regionais. Para resolver esta questão recorreu-se ao método de colagem, uma ferramenta experimental para a análise de documentos de pesquisa de natureza descritiva. O método foi primeiro testado em sete amostras de alunos universitários, inquiridos sobre os estados Unidos e sobre tipos de características sociais dos seus habitantes. entre as amostras a mais crítica, e porventura a mais realista, foi a dos alunos da região basca, em espanha. as suas apreciações críticas centraram-se no estilo de vida dos habitantes dos estados Unidos e especialmente no papel deste país na política mundial. nessa relação de amor-ódio os aspectos positivos diziam respeito sobretudo às mulheres, reservando-se para os homens a maioria das conotações negativas. Para os estudantes, o cidadão típico americano vive na Califórnia. as percepções foram claramente influenciadas por programas de entretimento dos media e secundariamente por outras informações factuais dos meios de comunicação social. Résumé -pErCEptions dEs Etats-unis Et dEs amériCains. la métHodE du CollagE. il existe des problèmes d'ordre pratique dans l'étude des stéréotypes nationaux et régionaux. Pour les résoudre, on a eu recours à la méthode de collage, un outil expéri-mental servant à l'analyse de documents de recherche de nature descriptive. La méthode a été tout d'abord testée sur sept échantillons d'étudiants universitaires, interrogés sur les États-Unis et sur le type de caractéristiques de ses habitants. Parmi ces échantillons, le plus critique, qui se trouve être aussi le plus réaliste, a été celui des étudiants de la région basque, en espagne. Leur appréciation critique s'est basée sur le style de vie des habitants des États--Unis et spécialement sur le rôle de ce pays dans la politique mondiale. Dans cette relation amour-haine, les aspects positifs concernent surtout les...

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