Representations of religion in the entertainment media: A comparison of the TV series Shtisel in Israel and Ömer in Türkiye

Ayşenur Kılıç

Article Details

Representations of religion in the entertainment media: A comparison of the TV series Shtisel in Israel and Ömer in Türkiye

Authors:

Ayşenur Kılıç

Publisher:

Istanbul University

Main Topics:

İletişim ve Medya Çalışmaları (Diğer)

Journal:

Connectist: Istanbul University Journal of Communication Sciences Issue 67, pp.115-141

Document Type:

Article

Publication Date:

8/2025

Document Language:

English

Document ID (Org No.):

2001340692

pISSN:

2636-8943

Keywords:

Abstract:

 This research focuses on two cases from the Global South -the Israeli series Shtisel and its Turkish scripted format adaptation Ömer- to revisit the theoretical debates on the relations between entertainment media, politics, and society by employing Currans radical democratic approach. Both series illustrate a recently popular genre: Pious peoples bemusement with modernsecular everyday life. Analyzing TV format adaptations in Türkiye is further significant because the imported format adaptations remain relatively less studied. Four main narratives come into prominence via the narrative analysis: i the use of technology, ii the skepticism towards the outside world in Ömer, iii gender narratives, and iv politicizationdepoliticization of representations of religion. Shtisel represents religion without reflecting current socio-political conflicts, Ömer reflects religion as a site of contestation and polarization of differing identities by reproducing political conflicts from everyday life into fiction. Currans framework explains Ömer sufficiently but is limited in helping understand Shtisel unless the Israeli cases transnational political-economic context is considered. Finally, to comprehend multilayered, dynamic, and sui generis cultural dimensions for each case in the Global South -which is not a homogenous whole- further theoretical inquiry on local, cultural and intertextual characteristics of scripted format adaptations in individual cases is needed.

 This research focuses on two cases from the Global South -the Israeli series Shtisel and its Turkish scripted format adaptation Ömer- to revisit the theoretical debates on the relations between entertainment media, politics, and society by employing Currans radical democratic approach. Both series illustrate a recently popular genre: Pious peoples bemusement with modernsecular everyday life. Analyzing TV format adaptations in Türkiye is further significant because the imported format adaptations remain relatively less studied. Four main narratives come into prominence via the narrative analysis: i the use of technology, ii the skepticism towards the outside world in Ömer, iii gender narratives, and iv politicizationdepoliticization of representations of religion. Shtisel represents religion without reflecting current socio-political conflicts, Ömer reflects religion as a site of contestation and polarization of differing identities by reproducing political conflicts from everyday life into fiction. Currans framework explains Ömer sufficiently but is limited in helping understand Shtisel unless the Israeli cases transnational political-economic context is considered. Finally, to comprehend multilayered, dynamic, and sui generis cultural dimensions for each case in the Global South -which is not a homogenous whole- further theoretical inquiry on local, cultural and intertextual characteristics of scripted format adaptations in individual cases is needed.

 This research focuses on two cases from the Global South -the Israeli series Shtisel and its Turkish scripted format adaptation Ömer- to revisit the theoretical debates on the relations between entertainment media, politics, and society by employing Currans radical democratic approach. Both series illustrate a recently popular genre: Pious peoples bemusement with modernsecular everyday life. Analyzing TV format adaptations in Türkiye is further significant because the imported format adaptations remain relatively less studied. Four main narratives come into prominence via the narrative analysis: i the use of technology, ii the skepticism towards the outside world in Ömer, iii gender narratives, and iv politicizationdepoliticization of representations of religion. Shtisel represents religion without reflecting current socio-political conflicts, Ömer reflects religion as a site of contestation and polarization of differing identities by reproducing political conflicts from everyday life into fiction. Currans framework explains Ömer sufficiently but is limited in helping understand Shtisel unless the Israeli cases transnational political-economic context is considered. Finally, to comprehend multilayered, dynamic, and sui generis cultural dimensions for each case in the Global South -which is not a homogenous whole- further theoretical inquiry on local, cultural and intertextual characteristics of scripted format adaptations in individual cases is needed.

 Bu araştırma, Küresel Güneyden iki örneğe -İsrail dizisi Shtisel ile onun Türkiyedeki format adaptasyonu olan Ömer- odaklanarak eğlence medyası, politika ve toplum arasındaki ilişkiler hakkındaki teorik tartışmaları, Curranın radikal demokrasi alternatif yaklaşımı ile ele almayı amaçlamaktadır. İncelenen iki dizi de her iki ülkede son zamanlarda popülerleşen bir türü temsil etmesi açısından önemlidir: Dindar insanların modernseküler günlük yaşamdaki kafa karışıklığını veya dindar-seküler hayat tarzları karşılaştırmasını temsil eden diziler. Türkiyedeki format uyarlamalarını incelemek ayrıyeten önem teşkil etmektedir, çünkü ithal format uyarlamaları Türk dizileri hakkındaki literatürde görece daha az incelenmiştir. Çalışmadaki anlatı analizi sonucunda dört ana anlatı öne çıkmaktadır: i teknoloji kullanımı, ii Ömerde dış dünyaya duyulan şüphe, iii toplumsal cinsiyet anlatıları ve iv her iki dizideki din temsillerinde, Ömerde siyasallaşma ve Shtiselde siyasallaşmadan arındırma depolitizasyon anlatıları. Radikal demokrasi çerçevesi Ömeri yeterince açıklamakta iken, İsrail örneğindeki ulusaşırı siyasiekonomik bağlam dikkate alınmadıkça Shtiseli anlamada sınırlı kalmaktadır. Son olarak, homojen bir bütün olmayan Küresel Güneydeki çok katmanlı, dinamik ve kendine has boyutları olabilen her bir vakayı anlayabilmek için her ülke örneğindeki format adaptasyonuna ait yerel, kültürel ve metinlerarası özellikler hakkında daha fazla teorik incelemeye ihtiyaç olduğu görülmektedir.

Article Details

Representations of religion in the entertainment media: A comparison of the TV series Shtisel in Israel and Ömer in Türkiye

Authors:

Ayşenur Kılıç

Publisher:

Istanbul University

Main Topics:

İletişim ve Medya Çalışmaları (Diğer)

Journal:

Connectist: Istanbul University Journal of Communication Sciences Issue 67, pp.115-141

Document Type:

Article

Publication Date:

8/2025

Document Language:

English

Document ID (Org No.):

2001340692

pISSN:

2636-8943

Scripted format adaptation

James Curran

Türkiye

Israel

narrative analysisFormat adaptasyonu

James Curran

Türkiye

İsrail

anlatı analizi

Issues

Article Details

Authors: Ayşenur Kılıç

Publisher: Istanbul University

Main Topics: İletişim ve Medya Çalışmaları (Diğer)

Journal: Connectist: Istanbul University Journal of Communication Sciences Issue 67, pp.115-141

Document Type: Article

Publication Date: 8/2025

Document Language: English

Document ID (Org No.): 2001340692

pISSN: 2636-8943

Issues

Authors:

Ayşenur Kılıç

Publisher:

Istanbul University

Main Topics:

İletişim ve Medya Çalışmaları (Diğer)

Journal:

Connectist: Istanbul University Journal of Communication Sciences Issue 67, pp.115-141

Document Type:

Article

Publication Date:

8/2025

Document Language:

English

Document ID (Org No.):

2001340692

pISSN:

2636-8943