Women and Cultural Citizenship in Turkey
Women and Cultural Citizenship in Turkey
TV Talk shows, often seen as vulgar and low-brow, can actually be a vehicle through which hitherto undiscussed topics (such as violence against women or political exclusion) are brought into the public sphere. Solen Sanli argues that this is the case...
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TV Talk shows, often seen as vulgar and low-brow, can actually be a vehicle through which hitherto undiscussed topics (such as violence against women or political exclusion) are brought into the public sphere. Solen Sanli argues that this is the case in Turkey, where talk shows often invite ordinary women from lower socio-economic classes to speak of their experiences of family life: marriage, divorce, child custody rights and relations with in-laws. Specifically looking at popular women's talk shows such as these (commonly called 'Woman's Voice' television), Sanli explores how groups with political and cultural power control public discourse and the public sphere in Turkey, and how urban/rural and Islamist/secular oppositions are constructed and evolve. Women and Cultural Citizenship in Turkey traces the development of mass media in Turkey, particularly television, and closely examines how narrations of violence against women are presented. By analysing the discourse that is produced on 'Woman's Voice' programmes, the production patterns of the shows, and their impact on the home audience, Sanli argues that these programmes enable women to construct first-hand narrations of the violence which is exerted against them. This is a significant development from the previous situation, where women's experiences were represented by the 'republican elite' of Turkey through state-sponsored Turkish Radio and Television (TRT). Drawing on Pierre Bourdieu's conceptualisations of capital and power, this book coins the term 'republican capital' to distinguish those portions of Turkish society which have largely monopolised mass media and the public sphere from the women who are now finding a voice through WV television. Women and Cultural Citizenship in Turkey offers topical and original insights relevant for a range of disciplines, such as Anthropology, Gender and Communication Studies, as well as those researching cultural and political participation in the Middle Eas
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