ASLAN’S ROAR: TURKISH TELEVISION AND THE RISE OF THE MUSLIM

Reinforcing the symbiotic nature of TV and culture, Aslan s Roar positions present-day media narratives and TV fiction amidst powerful trends influencing popular culture. Nowhere is this fact more visible than in the content of Turkish drama series which appear to be challenging the popularly accepted western template of the hero by placing Muslim masculinities center stage in narratives ranging from the political to the romantic. In its examination of the present-day volatile political situation within Turkey itself, Aslan s Roar offers the possibility of a third way to Muslims pursuing modernity. Incorporating history, sociology, cultural studies, literature, and contemporary media practice, the book studies masculinities and the development of the concept of the Turkish hero against the backdrop of the historic demise of the Ottoman Empire and the emergence of the Turkish Republic.