Drugs, Thugs, and Divas: Telenovelas and Narco-Dramas in Latin America - Hardcover

Benavides, O. Hugo

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 0292714505 ISBN 13: 9780292714502

Publisher: University of Texas Press, 2008

Synopsis

Soap opera speaks a universal language, presenting characters and plots that resonate far beyond the culture that creates them. Latin American soap operas—telenovelas—have found enthusiastic audiences throughout the Americas and Europe, as well as in Egypt, Russia, and China, while Mexican narco-dramas have become highly popular among Latinos in the United States. In this first comprehensive analysis of telenovelas and narco-dramas, Hugo Benavides assesses the dynamic role of melodrama in creating meaningful cultural images to explain why these genres have become so successful while more elite cultural productions are declining in popularity.

Benavides offers close readings of the Colombian telenovelas Betty la fea (along with its Mexican and U.S. reincarnations La fea más bella and Ugly Betty), Adrián está de visita, and Pasión de gavilanes; the Brazilian historical telenovela Xica; and a variety of Mexican narco-drama films. Situating these melodramas within concrete historical developments in Latin America, he shows how telenovelas and narco-dramas serve to unite peoples of various countries and provide a voice of rebellion against often-oppressive governmental systems. Indeed, Benavides concludes that as one of the most effective and lucrative industries in Latin America, telenovelas and narco-dramas play a key role in the ongoing reconfiguration of social identities and popular culture.

About this title

About the Author

O. HUGO BENAVIDES is Associate Professor of Anthropology, Latin American and Latino Studies, and International Political Economy and Development at Fordham University in New York City, where he directs the M.A. program in Humanities and Sciences.

Review

"Drugs, Thugs, and Divas offers a truly original contribution to studies of Latin American popular culture. The book treats two genres whose popularity is growing exponentially within and outside of Latin America, and its extended, nuanced investigation of narco-dramas, in particular, makes it a truly cutting-edge study." (Ruby Tapia, Assistant Professor of Comparative Studies, Ohio State University)

Edition details

• Publisher: University of Texas Press
• Publication date: 2008
• ISBN 10: 0292714505
• ISBN 13: 9780292714502
• Binding: Hardcover
• Language: English
• Edition number: 1
• Number of pages: 245