Audience Perceptions of Telenovelas and Their Representation of Economic Disparity
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The College of Wooster Open Works Senior Independent Study Theses 2017 La Fiebra Telenovela: Audience Perceptions of Telenovelas and their Representation of Economic Disparity Brenda Khor The College of Wooster, [email protected] Follow this and additional works at: https://openworks.wooster.edu/independentstudy Recommended Citation Khor, Brenda, "La Fiebra Telenovela: Audience Perceptions of Telenovelas and their Representation of Economic Disparity" (2017). Senior Independent Study Theses. Paper 7815. This Senior Independent Study Thesis Exemplar is brought to you by Open Works, a service of The College of Wooster Libraries. It has been accepted for inclusion in Senior Independent Study Theses by an authorized administrator of Open Works. For more information, please contact [email protected]. © Copyright 2017 Brenda Khor LA FIEBRA TELENOVELA: AUDIENCE PERCEPTIONS OF TELENOVELAS AND THEIR REPRESENTATION OF ECONOMIC DISPARITY by Brenda Khor An Independent Study Thesis Presented in Partial Fulfillment of the Course Requirements for Senior Independent Study: The Department of Communication March 9, 2017 Advisor: Michelle Johnson, Ph.D. Abstract Telenovelas play an important role in communicating Latin American issues. Viewers watch and engage with this popular melodramatic medium on a daily basis. As a result, telenovelas are a valuable ritual for Latin Americans. Telenovelas affect how societies view themselves. They expose viewers to social and political issues with the aim of public discourse (Joyce 49; Pastina 165; Pastina et al. “The Centrality” 2). My research explores audience engagement with contemporary Mexican telenovelas, focusing on their views of economic disparity representation, and how those representations impact their understanding of self and society. To carry out my study, I conducted ethnographic interviews with 13 Mexican telenovela viewers. Questions covered areas including their demographics and education, telenovela viewing habits, and economic disparity indicators. The interviews were analyzed using concepts from scholarly literature on such topics as the movement from serials to telenovelas series, telenovelas’ characteristics, and the Cultivation Theory. I found that while economic disparity is not directly discussed in telenovelas, participants perceived it through fashion, setting, education, and language. Participants noticed that telenovelas contain fragments of Mexican culture, but these fragments are too obscure to be seen as accurate reflections of reality, or in connection to their identities. Keywords: Mexican telenovelas, economic disparity, audience perceptions, cultural identity ii Acknowledgements A year and a half after beginning this intense and tiring process, I finally completed my Senior Independent Study. I would like to thank every individual who assisted me with my research project. Without their unconditional support, mentorship, and faith, I would not have been able to complete my masterpiece. First, I must thank my advisor Dr. Michelle Johnson. You were instrumental in providing me with constructive feedback and giving me a space to brainstorm, vent, laugh, and be free of the “outside world” for an hour per week. Without your guidance, words of wisdom, and witty attitude, I would not have been able to find this intensive process so seamlessly pleasing to write. You were definitely the perfect advisor for me. Second, I would like to thank my mentors at The College of Wooster, including Dr. Atay, Professor Boser, Professor DiDomenico, Professor Bowen, Professor Moynihan, Professor Bostdorff, Professor Singh, and Professor Brazeau. Each and every one of you have impacted the way I approached this project. You all have influenced me, pushed me to critically think inside and outside of the classroom, and have taught me to take ownership in my education. Next, I am immensely grateful to have received the Henry J. Copeland Fund for my Independent Study. Without this funding, my research project would not have been possible. I had the opportunity to go to Mexico City, Mexico, and interview participants. I returned to the United States as an immersed scholar with in-depth responses for my research project, and while abroad, made friends that I will stay in contact with. Furthermore, I have a whole new love for taco stands. Additionally, I would like to extend my greatest appreciation to the nasty women of the Writing Center: Tessa Hall, Lynette Mattson, and Gillian Lee. First for being strong, beautiful iii women who I aspire to be. Second for always assisting me with IS and my life, on and off the clock, without any hesitation. Whether it was a time of crisis or a time of peace, I knew you all would be there in my corner. I am extremely grateful for my Posse, Clarke Martin, Alisha Wies, Amadou Bah, Ines Yaneli Bibiano Baltzar, Vesselina Kotzeva, and the Buford Highway community, all of whom I call my family. To my Posse, thank you for seeing so much potential in me as well as challenging my style of thinking. We came to The College of Wooster together and I would not have seen it any other way than to receive that diploma with you all. To Clarke, thank you for the endless laughs, funny memes, and simply being a beautiful human being. To Alisha, thank you for being my writing and editing savior, and always ensuring me that I am doing an awesome job. To Amadou, thank you for the constant encouraging texts and being there for me whenever I need someone to talk to. To Yaneli, thank you for being my translator, my partner in shade, and the yin to my yang. To Vesselina, thank you for the random check-ups on making sure I am still alive and taking time to proofread my IS when you are busy in law school. To my Buford Highway community, thank you for the infinite inspiration, perseverance, and never allowing me to forget where I come from. BuHi always has a place in my heart. Thank you all for accepting me as me. Finally, I would like to extend a token of my appreciation to my family: my parents and three sisters. To my parents, thank you for being my strength, my drive, and my rock. Your sacrifices mean everything to me. To my sisters, thank you for the many enthusiastic and sarcastic group texts in making sure I finish this project strong. Thank you, family, for the amount of love you all have given me; it has pushed me to not only finish my Senior Independent Study journey but also made me grow into a stronger person. iv v Table of Contents Abstract ........................................................................................................................................... ii Acknowledgements ........................................................................................................................ iii CHAPTER I: INTRODUCTION .................................................................................................... 1 Purpose Statement ........................................................................................................................... 1 Rationales ........................................................................................................................................ 2 Definitions....................................................................................................................................... 3 Method ............................................................................................................................................ 4 Conclusion ...................................................................................................................................... 4 CHAPTER II: LITERATURE REVIEW ....................................................................................... 6 Serial Stories ................................................................................................................................... 6 Telenovelas ..................................................................................................................................... 8 History of Telenovelas in Latin America ................................................................................................. 9 Telenovelas in Global Media Market ..................................................................................................... 10 Characteristics of Telenovelas ................................................................................................................ 11 Features .............................................................................................................................................. 11 Mechanisms ........................................................................................................................................ 13 Mexico and Telenovelas ............................................................................................................... 16 Mexican Culture ..................................................................................................................................... 16 Mexican Telenovelas .............................................................................................................................. 19 Sabido’s Techniques ........................................................................................................................... 20 Economic Disparity ...................................................................................................................... 23 Economic Disparity Indicators in Telenovelas ......................................................................................