A presença da mulher negra nas séries de ficção televisivas brasileiras

Abstract

This study investigates the presence and representation of Black women in contemporary Brazilian television series, understanding these productions as cultural artifacts shaped by symbolic disputes related to race, gender, and class. In view of the consolidation of fictional television series as central products of mass culture, this study examines how such representations navigate between advances in diversity and the persistence of stereotypes historically associated with Black women in Brazilian media. The methodology adopted is qualitative in nature, albeit concise, and is grounded in the critical analysis of audiovisual works, drawing on cultural studies and theories of representation, mobilizing authors such as Stuart Hall, David Kellner, Lélia Gonzalez, and Patricia Hill Collins. The television series Arcanjo Renegado (2020), created by José Júnior; As Five (2020), created by Cao Hamburger; and Encantado’s (2022), created by Renata Andrade and Thais Pontes, were analyzed with particular attention to narrative construction, the conflicts assigned to Black female characters, and the relationship between protagonism, subjectivity, and stereotyping. The findings indicate that, although there has been progress in the presence of Black women in positions of professional and social prominence, their trajectories are still frequently shaped by archetypes such as the “Strong Black Woman,” by the pedagogization of racialized pain, and by narrative subordination to male protagonism. It is also observed that productions with greater female participation in creative processes tend to present more complex, humanized, and plural characters. The study concludes that the expansion of diversity in Brazilian television series, while significant, remains partial and uneven, making the occupation of spaces of creative power by Black women essential for representation to move beyond mere visibility and become genuinely emancipatory.