Racial Representation in Brazilian Soap Operas

Abstract

This paper aims to investigate racial representation in Brazilian Soap Operas broadcasted by the main TV channel – Globo – in the past 5 years. In order to do so the number of total characters and the number of black characters for each soap opera was counted, as well as the number of black writers and directors. The analyses show that racial representation continues to be an issue in Brazilian soap operas, with just over 15% of all characters in the soap operas analyzed being black. Furthermore, it is possible to see that there is even less representation of black people in the production of soap operas. This study finishes with a discussion of how racial representation affects socialization and acculturation in Brazil.