Telenovelas, which are also known as novelas, are an integral part of Brazil’s culture. Especially the productions of Brazil’s biggest and most influential television network, Rede Globo (Globo network), are nationally and internationally broadcasted. Thus, novelas have become one of the major sources of worldwide impressions of Brazil (Page 1995: 455).
Novelas tend also to have a great impact on their Brazilian audience. Interestingly, Indigenous people are rarely depicted in those programs, or in any other types of television programs for that matter. The subject of this master thesis is in what manner Indigenous people and languages are presented in Brazilian telenovelas, especially “A Muralha”.
Several authors were source of inspiration to create this Critical Discourse Analysis, but it must be said that the most important influence was Teun van Dijk’s discourse on racism in Latin America. The first chapter of this master thesis introduces the motivations for this study and gives some general information about the Indigenous peoples and languages of Brazil. The second chapter deals with the Brazilian telenovela as a whole.
Not only are its origins and plots explained, but also its socio-cultural impact. The third chapter describes the telenovela A Muralha, which was the subject of the empirical study, in its setup, production and reception by the viewers and critics. In the aforesaid chapter, there is the novela’s plot given as well as a summary of all episodes that were included in the discourse analysis and a short summary about its production and media impact.
The fourth chapter focuses on the Critical Discourse Analysis. It is further divided into four subchapters. Design and Procedure of the analysis are explained in the first subchapter. The second subchapter is about how people are represented in the aforesaid telenovela. Thus, it deals with language and identity. The third subchapter issues semiotic choices and issues strategies that are used in the visual communication method of the telenovela.
Results of the Critical Discourse Analysis are also included in that chapter. The fifth chapter discusses the depiction of Indigenous peoples and their cultures in Brazilian television by taking the example of A Muralha (The Great Wall). The sixth chapter gives an outlook on how the Indigenous depiction in Brazilian television will probably develop in the next few years in comparison to how it should develop.
Table of Contents
Introduction
1 Motivation for the Study
2 The Telenovela: A National Obsession
2.1 The Origin and Development of Brazilian Telenovelas
2.2 The Context of Analysis: The Setup of Telenovela’s Plots and Storylines
2.3 The Socio-Cultural Impact of Telenovelas in Brazil
2.3.1 White Ethnocentrism in the Telenovelas
2.3.2 Indigenous Representation in the Telenovelas
3 Description of the Telenovela A Muralha
3.1 Production, Setup and Media Impact of A Muralha
3.2 The Plot
3.2.1 Summary of Episode 1
3.2.2 Summary of Episode 2
3.2.3 Summary of Episode 46
3.2.4 Summary of Episode 47
3.2.5 Summary of Episode 48
3.2.6 Summary of Episode 49
3.2.7 Summary of Episode 50
4 Critical Discourse Analysis about the Indigenous Content in A Muralha
4.1 Design and Procedure of the Analysis
4.2 Representing People: Language and Identity
4.2.1 Personalization and Impersonalization
4.2.2 Individualization versus Collectivization
4.2.3 Specification and Genericization
4.2.4 Nomination and Functionalization
4.2.5 Foreigner Talk
4.3 Analyzing Semiotic Choices: Words and Images
4.3.1 Word Connotations
4.3.2 Lexical Choices
4.3.3 Visual Semiotic Choices: Settings and Salience
5 Depiction of Indigenous Cultures in A Muralha: A Discussion
6 Indigeneity in Brazilian Television: An Outlook
7 Conclusion
Research Objective and Key Themes
This master's thesis investigates the manner in which Indigenous peoples and languages are presented within Brazilian telenovelas, utilizing the telenovela A Muralha as a primary empirical case study. The work seeks to uncover how racist ideologies are reproduced through verbal and visual communication, ultimately aiming to understand if and how these television productions contribute to the systemic marginalization or stereotyping of Indigenous populations in Brazil.
- Analysis of linguistic strategies such as personalization, collectivization, and the use of "foreigner talk" regarding Indigenous characters.
- Investigation of visual semiotic choices, including camera techniques and the use of Indigenous cultural objects to signify social status.
- Exploration of how the telenovela genre functions as a mechanism for reinforcing national identity and capitalist ideologies.
- Examination of the interplay between historical settings and contemporary racial perceptions in Brazilian television.
- Evaluation of the potential for telenovelas to move beyond stereotypical, subaltern portrayals toward inclusive representation.
Excerpt from the Book
4.2.1 Personalization and Impersonalization
Telenovelas work with a range of representational strategies to depict characters in a certain way. In other words, telenovelas pool a great amount of semiotic choices that serve, among other things, to draw attention to certain aspects of the telenovela’s characters’ identity that consequently will be associated with certain kinds of discourses (Fairclough 2003: 145). The way Indigenous people are depicted in A Muralha and the ideological effects of that depiction is a referential choice, which is consciously created by Globo network. The classification of social actors is rather complex in the aforesaid Globo production, though.
Some Indigenous participants, like Caraíba, Apingorá and Tuiú are personalized as it is the case for most non-Indigenous characters. This means that those participants are depicted in a rather genuine and individualizing manner. The viewer learns more about who they are as individuals and what their personal goals, struggles and hopes are. Most Indigenous participants, however, tend to be rather impersonalized in many scenes. Thus, the viewer does not learn anything specific about those characters. Impersonalization is used as a tool to draw the viewer’s attention rather to the Bandeirantes’ stroke of fate and to the abstract concept of colonialization than on genuine struggles of Indigenous participants. Therefore, the depiction of Indigenous characters in A Muralha is not as multi-faceted as it could be.
Summary of Chapters
Introduction: Provides an overview of the role of telenovelas in Brazilian culture and outlines the research objective, which focuses on the representation of Indigenous peoples in A Muralha.
1 Motivation for the Study: Discusses the historical and contemporary status of Indigenous peoples in Brazil and justifies the need to analyze racism within mass media.
2 The Telenovela: A National Obsession: Explores the origins, evolution, and socio-cultural impact of Brazilian telenovelas, including their role in promoting white ethnocentrism.
3 Description of the Telenovela A Muralha: Details the production, narrative plot, and historical context of A Muralha, including summaries of episodes analyzed.
4 Critical Discourse Analysis about the Indigenous Content in A Muralha: Presents the methodological design and empirical results of the study, covering language, identity, and semiotic choices.
5 Depiction of Indigenous Cultures in A Muralha: A Discussion: Critically evaluates how Indigenous slavery and identity are romanticized or dehumanized within the narrative.
6 Indigeneity in Brazilian Television: An Outlook: Proposes future directions for the portrayal of Indigenous individuals in television, arguing for genuine inclusion over superficial integration.
7 Conclusion: Summarizes findings, noting that while A Muralha marks a development in representation, it ultimately reproduces contemporary racism through traditional narrative tropes.
Keywords
Telenovela, A Muralha, Indigenous Representation, Critical Discourse Analysis, Brazil, Racism, Hegemony, Stereotyping, Bandeirantes, Semiotic Choices, Impersonalization, Collectivization, Foreigner Talk, Mass Media, Cultural Identity
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the core focus of this research?
The research examines the representation of Indigenous peoples and their languages in the Brazilian telenovela A Muralha using Critical Discourse Analysis.
What are the primary thematic areas covered?
The work covers the socio-cultural impact of Brazilian telenovelas, historical depictions of colonization, the role of Indigenous characters, and the influence of language and visual semiotics on audience perception.
What is the main goal of the thesis?
The goal is to determine how telenovelas, as influential media, help reproduce racial hegemony and what specific discursive tools are used to represent (or exclude) Indigenous individuals.
Which scientific method is employed?
The author applies Critical Discourse Analysis (CDA) to both textual (dialogue) and visual (camera work, setting) elements of the telenovela.
What does the main body of the work address?
It provides a structural description of A Muralha, analyzes the linguistic techniques (personalization, genericization, foreigner talk) used to depict Indigenous people, and discusses the implications of these choices.
What characterize the key terms of this study?
Key terms include Telenovela, A Muralha, Indigenous Representation, Critical Discourse Analysis, and concepts like symbolic violence and racial hegemony.
How does the telenovela handle the depiction of the Bandeirantes?
The telenovela portrays them as historical figures engaged in exploration and gold hunting, but the analysis reveals that the story is told primarily from their perspective, often to the detriment of the Indigenous people they enslaved.
What role does "foreigner talk" play in the show?
The author argues that the use of ungrammatical "foreigner talk" for Indigenous characters serves to construct them as foreign or intellectually inferior, rather than reflecting the historical reality of the Língua Geral spoken at the time.
What conclusions does the author draw regarding future representations?
The author concludes that while A Muralha shows some advancements in authenticity, Indigenous portrayal in Brazilian television still needs to evolve towards inclusive and multifaceted depictions rather than relying on historical stereotypes.
- Citar trabajo
- Yasmin Barrachini-Haß (Autor), 2014, Where Have All the Indios Gone? A Critical Discourse Analysis of the Brazilian Telenovela "A Muralha" and Its Indigenous Representation, Múnich, GRIN Verlag, https://www.grin.com/document/316780
