RIBEIRO-DISSERTATION-2016.Pdf (7.800Mb)
Total Page:16
File Type:pdf, Size:1020Kb
DISCLAIMER: This document does not meet current format guidelines Graduate School at the The University of Texas at Austin. of the It has been published for informational use only. Copyright by Monique H. Ribeiro 2016 The Dissertation Committee for Monique H. Ribeiro Certifies that this is the approved version of the following dissertation: IMAGINED REALITY: Black Womanhood, Telenovela Representation, and Racial Discourse in Brazil Committee: Joao H. Costa Vargas, Supervisor Maria Franklin Edmund T. Gordon Joseph Straubhaar Mark Sawyer IMAGINED REALITY: Black Womanhood, Telenovela Representation, and Racial Discourse in Brazil by Monique H. Ribeiro, B.A.; M.A. Dissertation Presented to the Faculty of the Graduate School of The University of Texas at Austin in Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements for the Degree of Doctor of Philosophy The University of Texas at Austin August 2016 Dedication To my mother: for your unending love. For making the impossible, possible and creating a better life for us. To Songe: for your unending support. For always cheering me on when I wanted to give up, for inspiring me, for being my beacon of light. Acknowledgements There is a popular proverb that states that it takes a village to raise a child. Well, it is fair to say that it also takes a village to complete a dissertation, and I am so incredibly grateful for all of the friends and family who have helped me get through this eight year process alive and sanely. Never in a million years would I have imagined, as a child, that I would make it from a slum in Rio de Janeiro to receiving a doctorate degree from one of the finest universities in the U.S. Although there were many moments of hopelessness and despair, every step of the way, I was surrounded by love and through that I found so much strength. I have never I felt so capable and empowered. This post dissertation life is already as sweet as I imagined it would be, and I have many people to thank for helping me navigate this very bumpy journey. Mom, thank you for all the sacrifices you had to make to raise me the best way you knew how. I am sure that it wasn’t easy being a single mother at such a young age, when many people doubted that you would achieve your dream to provide a better life for both of us. All the late night shifts, the side hustles, and the long distance have paid off, e agora o sol da sua praia está brilhando mais forte do que nunca. I did it, mommy! You are truly my real life superhero. Thank you for all that you’ve done and continue to do. I owe my sincerest thanks to all the women who generously contributed to this project by lending their voices and sharing their stories. I learned so much more than can fit in these pages by listening to them. This dissertation would not have been possible without them; as such it belongs to them more than it does to me. I want to give special thanks to Barby and Marie, who were kind enough to let me into their hair salons and v have passionate discussions everyday, and also to Sandra for connecting me with Marie’s Fashion Salon. I am also truly grateful for Joao Paulo, who provided me with much needed light and spiritual guidance during my fieldwork. My most sincere appreciation to each of committee members, without your support I wouldn’t have made it this far. First and foremost, João Vargas, I have said this before and I’ll say it again, thank you so, very much for adopting me as your advisee in the midst of an unconventional academic process. Your commitment and encouragement were fundamental to get me to the finish line. Thank you for always being so flexible, understanding, and for pushing me to grow academically. I will be forever grateful for all the support you’ve given me. I would have never started down this path if it weren’t for the mentorship of Mark Sawyer. I truly appreciate your dedication to mentor me when I was merely a sophomore in college, thank you for creating a space where I found research autonomy at an early age. I want to extend special thanks Maria Franklin and Edmund Gordon for playing such a pivotal role early in my graduate school career. I would also like to express my gratitude to Joseph Straubhaar, who was literally the very first author I read during my college days, in my academic quest for knowledge about Brazilian telenovelas. To all my committee members, thank you for the conversations, the book recommendations, the edits and comments. It has been a true honor working with such great group of scholars. In addition to my amazing committee, I want to thank Luciane Rocha from the bottom of my heart for all the love you have given me in these past ten years. You have brainstormed with me, given me advice, listened to me laugh and cry; you have at times almost literally carried me on your back just to help me finish this program. You’re the only person who most closely understands all the joy and pain I experienced on this road vi to doctorhood, and for that I am eternally grateful. There is no way I can ever repay you or thank you enough for all that you’ve done, minha borboleta! A very special shout out is in order to the woman who introduced me to research and who inspired me to pursue a Ph.D. to begin with. La’Tonya-Rease-Miles, sometimes I thanked the stars that you encouraged me to take this journey, and sometimes I was mad. But now that is over –thank God!– all I can say is, you are the ultimate mentor! Thank you for all the tips and advice, for always being in my corner and for teaching me that nerds can be cool. I always said I want to be like you when I grow up, and now I am a step closer. I have been so fortunate to be surrounded by an amazing group of engaging intellectuals, so I also want to thank folks whose friendship, feedback, and overall support has been vital to the successful completion of this work: Amari Johnson, Maya Berry, Omaris Zamora, Juli Grigsby, Sade Anderson, Traci-Ann Wint, Tisia Saffold, Agelica Morris, Dominique Harrison, Tyesha Maddox, Jonathan Square, Pekti Miles, Karmen Foster, Aiyana Rios, Titilayo Kuti, Kathleen Obrien-Price, Stephanie Loville, and Shamel Flowers. My sincere thanks to Celeste Henery, for such great editing and for making this dissertation a lot more coherent. I am also grateful for my Brazucas in Austin, who were always willing to help even if it was last minute (read: a few hours before a deadline) and created a little bit of home in Texasland: Dora Santana, Maria Andrea dos Santos, Gustavo Melo, Jaime Alves, Andrea Lisboa, and Silvia de Castro. I am eternally grateful to Tiffany Head and Divali Magnus, you two are my heart! Thank for the little care packages to lift my spirits up when I wanted to give up, for the long conversations, for hearing me talk about school for the past ten years, for giving me the best hugs when I needed it, and just for being your amazing, supportive selves. Also, a little note of thanks to Mimo, my furry buddy who kept me company during my all vii nighters, who made me laugh, and always reminded me to get up and stretch because I had to let you out. To my ancestors, thank you for guiding my every step. I hope you’re proud. Lastly, but certainly not least, I want to express my gratitude for my husband Songe LaRon. You are by far the most difficult to thank because you are the very foundation that has kept me together throughout this process. You rejoiced during my triumphs and you helped pick up the pieces when I felt broken, I can honestly say I am a better human being because of our love. I literally could not have made it to this point without your unending support. Thank you for never letting me give up, I am so glad I listened to you. To paraphrase Muhammed Ali, I now get to live the rest of my life as a champion because I didn’t quit. Thank you for existing in my life. viii IMAGINED REALITY: Black Womanhood, Telenovela Representation, and Racial Discourse in Brazil Monique H. Ribeiro, Ph.D. The University of Texas at Austin, 2016 Supervisor: Joao H. Costa Vargas Although Brazil is composed of an overwhelmingly large population of African descendants, they are usually underrepresented in the mainstream media, particularly in telenovelas (soap operas). The genre has been widely popular in South American countries for the past three decades but Brazil is the largest producer of this kind of programming, Afro descendant actors are generally seen in very small numbers and often portrayed in subaltern roles. Whenever a new soap opera is aired, its author makes his or her rounds in different television shows, magazines, and newspapers in order to publicize the new production. Watching these interviews, it becomes clear that that Brazil does not have any Black scriptwriters, which further complicates the situation, leaving white men and women to construct Black womanhood according to whatever way they see fit. This dissertation builds on research conducted during fieldwork in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. It focuses specifically on the relevance to black Brazilian women’s roles on Brazilian soap operas and how the messages contained in such television shows ix may or may not impact the process of black female identity formation.