Transnational Flow of Television Dramas between India and Turkiye: Contestation between Geopolitics and Transculturalism

Transculturalism is a concept that emphasises the blending and interaction of different cultures, transcending traditional cultural boundaries. It acknowledges the interconnectedness of the globalised world and highlights the importance of cultural diversity and cross-cultural understanding. Transculturalism plays a significant role in shaping contemporary societies in fostering cultural tolerance. Cultural products like entertainment television productions have become increasingly prominent in fostering transculturalism in this globalised world. The study aims to scrutinise how the transnational flow of television dramas fosters the transculturalism between India and Turkiye. India and Türkiye are rich in transnational export of television content. The exchange of television dramas between India and Türkiye is in contrast with the geopolitical narrative between the countries. This study analyses the dynamics of contestation between the geopolitical narrative and transculturalism in the exchange of television dramas between India and Türkiye. The study explores how television dramas act as a soft power tool in transculturalism, by doing qualitative content analysis of select dramas from both sides and in-depth review of comments of the audience on the YouTube comment section of each drama. The result suggests that the intercultural communication between the two countries is diverted from the existing geopolitical narrative between them. It means the power of cultural products overpowers geo-political narratives created by mainstream media and political agencies.

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