Mediatorship in the clash of hegemonic and counter publics

Abstract

This study discusses how the publication of Alice Oseman’s translation of the Heartstopper (Kalp Çarpıntısı) series in Turkey became a case of multiple mediatorship, from the stigmatization of the series as “propaganda of heresy” and the official restrictions of its sales to the support for its dissemination among the target audience. Closely relating to the mediation processes that turn sanctions into statements against the LGBTQ+ community or springboards for solidarity in support of equality and inclusion, the concept of multiple mediatorship embodies mediators or agents acting for or against the dissemination of the series among Turkish readers. In that vein, this study offers a nuanced understanding of how mediation cannot simply be deemed a collaborative act enabled by alliance, but, rather, of how it involves a clash of multiple mediators who are in conflict in the public sphere.