Romance IX: Kismet! Turkish Soap Operas and the Global Culture of Popular Romance (Special Session)
The popularity of contemporary Turkish soap operas in the Middle East,
North Africa, the Balkans, and Asia has sparked avid discussions of
issues related to sexuality, women's rights, and the politics of popular
culture. This special session will feature a rare American showing of
KISMET, an award-winning short documentary film (58 minutes long) about
these TV shows, their makers, and their global fandom, followed by a
discussion of the film led by romance scholar Heather Schell, who has
studied popular romance in Turkey, romance Area Chair Eric Selinger, and
Katherine Larsen of the PCA Fan Studies area. As these discussion
leaders will demonstrate, the content of these discussions bears
striking similiarities to debates over the value and effect of popular
romance fiction in Anglophone cultures; however, the context of the
discussions is often radically different, depending on the viewing
locale. Comparisons to the content and reception of other international
TV dramas--e.g., Korean dramas of the Hallyu [Korean wave] will also be
addressed.
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