Brazil on the screen: the narrative of a nation based on the Brazilian soap operas and their transnational scope (1970-1985)

Abstract

This project aims to study the narratives about Brazil, more specifically about Racial Relations in Brazil, constructed by Brazilian teledramaturgy in the context of exporting soap operas between the 1970s and 1980s. This analysis will be made possible through the study of three soap operas produced by Rede Globo, being: O Bem-Amado (1973); Gabriela (1975) and Escrava Isaura (1976). The period is justified because, if we compare with previous productions, these are the first soap operas of the TV that sought to establish a dialogue with Brazilian social reality, without losing sight of the context of authoritarianism experienced in Brazil at the time. Moreover, these productions were the first that crossed the national frontier, being transmitted in several other countries and becoming the main diffusers of certain narratives about what Brazil is. Therefore, the general objective of this research is to understand the construction of the narrative about Brazil and the Racial Relations in the beginning of the Brazilian teledramaturgy, focusing on the telenovelas produced and exported by Rede Globo television. In more specific terms, we will seek a) To understand the relations between the cultural codes narrated by the television drama of the time and the national socio-political context; b) Analyze the extent to which the national collective imagination, influenced by teledramaturgy and the socio-political context, establishes dialogues with the international context. To achieve these research goals we will use the theoretical contributions of Brazilian Social Thought and Cultural and Postcolonial Studies. In methodological terms the analysis will be given through a bibliographical review; Documentary Research; Interview and Content Analysis. (AU)