Date of Award
4-21-2014
Document Type
Honors Project
Degree Name
Bachelor of Arts
Department
History and American Studies
Department Chair or Program Director
McClurken, Jeffrey
First Advisor
Ferrell, Claudine
Second Advisor
McClurken, Jeffrey
Third Advisor
Rigelhaupt, Jess
Major or Concentration
History
Abstract
This paper studies the first six seasons of the hit television show M*A*S*H (1972-1983) and examines how the sociocultural climate of the 1960s and 1970s in America influenced the show's portrayal of the Korean War and how, in turn, the show reflects those cultural influences. This study focuses on the influence of the Vietnam War, the civil rights movement, the Cold War, second-wave feminism, and the gay and sexual liberation movements. It argues that each of these movements and events had a profound influence upon M*A*S*H, which is evident in its portrayal of the Korean War as a conflict infused with attitudes and issues of the sixties and seventies. Ultimately, M*A*S*H provides an illuminating window through which to view the two dynamic, complex decades.
Recommended Citation
Tams, Leah, "The Korean War in the 1960s and 1970s: A Cultural Analysis of the First Six Seasons of M*A*S*H" (2014). Student Research Submissions. 381.
https://scholar.umw.edu/student_research/381