Guest Editors’ Introduction: Cultural Politics and Production Practices of the Turkish TV Industry

Abstract

The transnationalization of the Turkish television industry, which began in the late 1990s, has been continuing with enormous success with Turkish TV series now being exported to more than 150 countries. In both introductions to the double special issue, we contextualize television in Turkey as a significant cultural field of production within its historical background and trace the transnational trajectory of Turkish dramas in Turkey and abroad. By focusing on the tensions and transformations spurred by the global presence of Turkish television, we critically examine what it means both for global audiences to consume and for the industry to produce Turkish dramas in the contemporary global televisual landscape. In the first volume (Issue 3) of this double special issue, the contributors reflect on the reception of Turkish TV series as well as their global and local consumption networks. In the second volume (Issue 4), the manuscripts explore the consequences of the industry practices and perceptions around what travels well along with nation-states' interventions and influences.