Fien Adriaens

Glocalized Telenovelas and National Identities A “Textual Cum Production” Analysis of the “Telenovelle” Sara, the Flemish Adaptation of Yo soy Betty, la fea

This article examines the globalization of the telenovela format in relation to issues of adaptation, proximities, and national identities. As a case study of glocalized telenovelas, it deals with the domestic adaptation of one of the most popular Latin American telenovelas, Yo soy Betty, la fea (1999-2001), into the “telenovelle” Sara (2007-2008), which takes place in a Belgian (more specifically Flemish) context. Therefore, this article specifically asks how Flemish identities are represented through the production process of Sara. While examining the international flow of telenovelas and the cross-cultural adaptation of the telenovela format, this case study considers an additional geopolitical and cultural context, as well as confronts and combines thematic textual analysis with expert interviews. Considering the successful export of “canned” telenovelas and the adaptation of this format within the framework of national identity and identification, this article deals with the emergence of the telenovelle as a local genre that is inspired by, and modifies, the original Latin American format.

‘Diaspora girls doing identities’: Creating ideal television programmes and narratives of the self:

This article reports on the results of a visual ethnographic case study with teenage diaspora girls living in Belgium. It analyses how second-generation girls of Turkish descent perform identities through the visualization of and reflection on their ideal television programme. This article starts from an intersectional and performance approach to identity, then explores what happens when diaspora girls ‘do television’; it contributes to the knowledge of what young females ‘do’ with media texts and moves beyond the conventional interview methods within audience research. Results show that when participants produce collages of their ideal television programmes, they reflexively engage in providing a narrative of the self and in performing identities. The cases identified with a broad spectrum of shifting subject-positions, often transgressing ethnicity, foregrounding age and gender. Visual ethnography complemented by traditional audience research techniques proved to be useful in approaching issues such as identity performance and the role of media.