The blackness in visual representations in the Folha De S.Paulo newspaper and its implications for the cultural identity of black in Brazil

Abstract

To contribute to the understanding of the process of social construction of blackness, this article presents questions about the construction of the Black identity, according to Mbembe and to inventory meanings and values related to blackness, put into circulation by the visual representations of the newspaper Folha de S.Paulo. The sample consists of 215 visual representations grouped into categories and analyzed using strategies from the Peircean semiotics. Among the results, we emphasize that advertising adds meanings to blackness, which can contribute to making the process the cultural identity of the Black person go beyond the submission structure linked to slavery and the (re)updating of tradition, or the original experience. This study is relevant for communication, since it presents reflections on of social and cultural practices related to media products and blackness.