"In Latin America, the production of telenovelas and TV series about the region's recent and traumatic past has grown considerably in the last 20 years, affecting societal perceptions of the past, historical consciousness, and political culture. While these TV products are usually perceived as trivi
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al, they do provide a historical framework to a wide audience, which finds it easier to relate to the national past through fiction than through history books, journalistic articles or documentaries. Latin America’s Contested Pasts in Telenovelas and TV Series analyzes the historical culture of Latin American society embodied in telenovelas and TV series from the 1960s to this day. It compiles regional case studies on the televised representation of 20th-century dictatorships in Chile, Argentina, and Brazil, as well as the war against drug trafficking and the armed conflict in Colombia. Highlighting the political and social relevance of fictional television, the contributions offer interdisciplinary insights into its discourses and narratives, from the heroization of criminals to the search for reconciliation and the construction of a historical memory." (Publisher description)
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"This book explores the imprint that the peace process involving the guerilla organisation FARC-EP left on Colombian TV fiction. To that end, it scrutinises the phenomenon of Colombian reconciliation telenovelas, which are intrinsically linked to the national Transitional Justice process. Based on a
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thorough analysis of the telenovelas and expert interviews, it examines their reconciliatory potential and assesses the benefits and dangers of incorporating mass mediated formats of popular culture into peace processes. The telenovelas, which could be mistaken for shallow entertainment, turn out to be an integral component of the Colombian Transitional Justice strategy." (Publisher description)
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