Acionamentos teóricos sobre publicidade e propaganda nas teses e dissertações brasileiras:

indícios férteis em um campo marginal

Abstract

In the Communication field, research on advertising and propaganda has a late development. The theory's role is central to this process, as a practice that shapes, stresses and characterize advertising as an object of knowledge. In this investigation, the objective is to identify, in academic researches of advertising and propaganda, the main theoretical approaches adopted and the way that persuasive Communication' specific theories are driven in the studies. The discussion goes by the scientific field of Communication, the historicity of the research and the main concepts and perspectives to reflect current advertising. The research methodology is descriptive, of a qualitative and quantitative nature, with a combination of bibliographic research and documentary analysis. The sources consist of recent Brazilian research of advertising and propaganda, mapped between the theses and dissertations produced in the 47 graduate programs in Communication in Brazil, in 2019 (data available in the production of the research, in 2020). The results indicate the lack of researches about the subject, covered in only 40 of the 766 theses and dissertations concluded that year in the Communication's field. Despite this incipient character, a significant part of the research shows a concern with the theoretical instance, whether proposing to operationalize and improve already existing concepts, or even proposing new notions. In addition to the natural appropriation of concepts from other areas, the intense circulation of specific concepts about advertising and propaganda, recently developed by Brazilian researchers in the area, highlights the fruitful advancement of the field as a space for the collective production of knowledge.