Tese
Feminismo no horário das 9: representações femininas e pautas do movimento feminista em telenovelas brasileiras
Fecha
2020-06-15Autor
Henriques, Mariana Nogueira
Institución
Resumen
The research investigates how female representations, in Brazilian soap operas, tensioned by
hegemony and selective tradition, make the agendas of the feminist movement visible, from
the 1960s to 2010. To answer this question, we analyze the soap operas Véu de Noiva (1969),
Pecado Capital (1975), Coração Alado (1980), Explode Coração (1995), América (2005) and
A Força do Querer (2017). The general objective is to analyze the relations between Brazilian
soap operas and the feminist movement, through the representation of female characters, in
six soap operas from the 1960s to 2010. Thus, we have as specific objectives: to map the elements
of the historical and social context in each moment of the feminist movement in Brazil;
verify how the production logics of the soap operas contribute to the representation of the
themes through the characters; identify the feminist themes reinforced in the soap operas and
recognize the elements used in the construction of the female characters of the soap operas. In
order to achieve these objectives, we use the theoretical-methodological assumptions of the
cultural studies, approach from which we develop the concepts such as cultural material, mediation,
hegemony and tradition, and we also elaborate the cultural-media analysis, based on
the cultural theory proposed by Raymond Williams (1979). Besides, we present a history of
the feminist movement and its developments, mainly in the Brazilian context, based on Céli
Pinto (2003, 2018), Maria Amélia Teles (2003, 2017) and Ilze Zirbel (2007). We also highlight
the importance of soap operas in the Brazilian context, characterizing them as cultural
products with a potential for articulating representations and also as a catalyst for debates on
feminist themes, through Charlotte Brunsdon (1997), Ana Carolina Escosteguy (2003, 2019),
Heloisa Buarque de Almeida (2002, 2003) and Clara Meirelles (2009). As a result, the visibility
of the agenda in the soap operas is demonstrated through five themes: motherhood, violence
against women, empowerment, labor market and sexual diversity, in addition to their
consequences. In general, there is a representation through a white, little politicized, individualized
and meritocratic feminism, which acts within conservative and traditional limits, reinforcing
a double sexual morality. The soap operas and feminism have intense relationships
and continuous exchanges, but when represented, it is a “well-behaved” movement, which
little reflects the plurality of this struggle, giving voice to stable and conservative models of
representations, with a guise of “new discourse”, “current” and “liberal”. Nonetheless, they
are extremely important products when dealing with this theme, as they are popular and accessible
to everyone, and as they dialogue with easy transit in different contexts. This is intensified
in Brazil, due to its great relevance in the various cultural contexts.