Reinventing Hybridity in a Globalized Context: The Case of Turkish Soap Operas and Their Reception in Morocco

Abstract

This article aims to examine Turkish soap operas as a multi-faceted phenomenon that, as a product of cultural hybridization, will also contribute to similar cultural hybridization in the countries and regions where they are broadcasted. The purpose is to highlight the fact that this is not a unilateral process of cultural influence, with an active production pole and a static and non-active receptor, but rather a dialectical process of hybridization, transformation, and adaptation. Analyzing the power of television and the strategies used by soap operas to attract an audience, the article highlights the dynamics accompanying their diffusion and the impact on the watchers. The main conclusion of this work is that Turkish soap operas are at the same time an outcome of cultural hybridization and a vector of this phenomenon since the series will influence the cultural frame of references of their host societies. The case study on Morocco helps us understand the encompassing dynamics at stake when it comes to cultural influence and interaction.