Dialogic analysis of short animated cartoons by Maurício de Sousa: the case of autism

Abstract

The goal of this research is to analyze dialogically (based on Bakhtins' work) six short animated cartoons by Maurício de Sousa that focus on Autism. In Brazil, the debate concerning this condition has been intensified since 1980, when the first associations linked to the disease were founded (Associação de Amigos do Autista and Associação Brasileira de Autismo). However, only from 2008 on, when Brazil ratified the UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities, an inclusive approach was implemented in several social spheres. In this context are inserted the cartoons by Maurício de Sousa: they integrate a group of actions that reveal an attempt to reinforce this approach. Maurício de Sousa, a Brazilian recognized cartoonist, has created characters to approach the subject of diversity. Amongst them, there is André, a boy with autism that is featured in these cartoons. The main objective of the research is to investigate, on those cartoons, the materialization of ideological values that involve issues like inclusion and autism. The research is also interested in answering other questions, amongst them: who is the intended addressee? How are autistic children represented, based on the character André? How do the cartoons answer the social discourses that focus on social inclusion in Brazil? The chosen theoretical perspective to be used includes papers about Bakhtin Circle, especially the ones developed in Brazil that concentrate on the concrete utterance in relation with the speech genres, the ideologies, alterity, ethics and aesthetics in the production of meaning. The research is both qualitative and interpretative. As methodological procedures, what will be used are the propositions concerning discourse dialogic analysis made by Brazilian researchers.