YOUTH TRAFFICKING IN SOCCER: DIAMANTES NEGROS (BLACK DIAMONDS), A CINEMATOGRAPHIC TEXT OF PUBLIC SOCIOLOGY

Abstract

Drawing upon the movie Diamantes Negros (Black Diamonds), the purpose of this paper is to illustrate the potential of cinema as a resource, or text, of public sociology. The film deals with the issue of African child trafficking in soccer. The clarity of the story, the relevance of the problem addressed and the emotional involvement, moved us to inquire into such a problematic. Having considered the academic-scientific literature, we have confirmed, among other things, the following: a) the (almost) pioneering character of the filmic text within the Spanish context; and b) the discursive similarities among the academic texts and the cinematographic fiction. Taking into account these similarities and the content and formal features of the movie, it is argued that Diamantes Negros is a good example of a public sociology text.