Whose Story Is Being Told? On Minority Representations in Turkish TV Series

May 14, 2026, Thursday
16:00 - 18:00

Venue: Hrant Dink Foundation Anarad Hığutyun Building
Papa Roncalli St. No: 128 Harbiye, Şişli/İstanbul
*The talk will be in Turkish and there will be no simultaneous translation.

To register for the event, please fill out the form.

In Turkey, domestic TV series can be read not only as a familiar space of everyday entertainment, but also as a powerful field of representation where identities, belongings, and social boundaries are constructed and reconstructed. Through Dr. Feyza Akınerdem’s talk titled “Whose Story Is Being Told? Minority Representations in Turkish TV Series,” the discussion aims to examine minority representations in local TV series by starting from the question: “Whose stories are being told?”

In this talk, the transformation of Turkish TV series across different periods and productions will be explored, focusing on which stories are made visible and which remain in the background. Spanning from mainstream media to digital platforms, the session will consider how minority issues are addressed across a wide spectrum, from social realism to populist narratives. Drawing on examples from Hatırla Sevgili to Kulüp, and from Asi to Taşacak Bu Deniz, the discussion will examine how non-normative identities are represented and how they are incorporated into popular narratives.

This field, shaped through the interaction between producers, creative teams, and audiences, will be reconsidered within both local and global contexts, opening up a discussion on the possibilities of more pluralistic and just storytelling. Bringing together rights advocates with creators from the TV and film industry, the talk aims to create a shared space for reflecting on practices of representation, visibility, and storytelling.

 

Feyza Akınerdem

Dr. Feyza Akınerdem is a sociologist, researcher, and political consultant. She completed her undergraduate and master’s degrees in the Department of Sociology at Boğaziçi University and received her PhD in Cultural Policy and Management from City, University of London. Her academic work focuses on contemporary social dynamics, media and representation, discourse analysis, and qualitative research methods.

Having taught at various universities, Akınerdem has delivered courses particularly in social theory, media studies, and research methods. In addition, she has conducted projects on evidence-based policy development, research design, and strategic consultancy for public institutions, civil society organizations, and the private sector. Her work on media and politics, regimes of representation, and cultural policies has appeared in various national and international platforms.