Pushing the limits of the family on Turkish television: Lost City, an alternative voice?


Creative Commons License

Cetin K. B. E.

EUROPEAN JOURNAL OF COMMUNICATION, vol.31, no.6, pp.694-706, 2016 (SSCI) identifier identifier

  • Publication Type: Article / Article
  • Volume: 31 Issue: 6
  • Publication Date: 2016
  • Doi Number: 10.1177/0267323116677206
  • Journal Name: EUROPEAN JOURNAL OF COMMUNICATION
  • Journal Indexes: Social Sciences Citation Index (SSCI), Scopus
  • Page Numbers: pp.694-706
  • Hacettepe University Affiliated: Yes

Abstract

This article discusses the shift in the representation of the family through a case study of Lost City (2012-2013). The programme challenges the dominant representations of the family on Turkish television that are mostly framed by a particular neighbourhood culture and are characterized by organic solidarity. As outsiders in Turkish society, a prostitute, a Kurdish family and a Black illegal immigrant challenge the unity of the Toptas family that has moved to Istanbul from the Black Sea region of Turkey and who are trying hard to survive against poverty and the 'cosmopolitan culture' of the city. The series problematizes the borders of the family as different members of the Toptas family develop new relationships extending the family to include the outsiders of Turkish society. Drawing on Turkish family dramas such as Super Dad (1993-1997), Father's Home (1997-2002), The Falling Leaves (2005-2010) and Lost City, this article examines the discursive shift in the representation of the family on Turkish television.