Analysis of the Narratives with Characters That Make Ethnic Diversity Visible—Miraculous: Tales of Ladybug & Cat Noir

Abstract

This study follows the line of different authors who examined the visibility of ethnic diversity in children’s television series and the psychoeducational implications of these media narratives for children. Specifically, this work analyses the behaviours/actions developed by the model characters of cultural diversity and how these characters promote a perspective on diversity that conditions children. Employing a qualitative methodology, we use content analysis and critical discourse analysis as tools to be able to read, describe and interpret said content. The results highlight that these children’s programmes present a culture that reinforces certain values and behaviours. Likewise, the TV programmes analysed present stories marked by models of cultural diversity that contribute to the maintenance of certain social structures and the normalisation of inequality. We believe that educational institutions, through media education, should go deeper and teach students to look critically, deciphering codes of the audiovisual language present in the elements of children’s stories. In the complex society of the 21st century, we must consider that the needs of children change depending on how their identity intersects with aspects such as ethnicity, class, gender, etc., in order to equip them with the appropriate tools to deal with these problems.

Keywords

• digital narratives
• cultural diversity
• media literacy