The effect of Turkish tv series on Kosovar audience: A case study on the reception of Albanian women

Popular culture studies are crucial for understanding everyday meaning-making processes of people. It has a central place in Cultural and Feminist Studies as this area considers every ordinary thing as part of the culture. The influence of Turkish Soap Operas over the Albanian female audience is an unexamined area in academic literature. This study aims to contribute to popular culture studies in this line. This thesis is grounded in ethnography, focusing on the Albanian female audience in Kosova, following a qualitative methodology. Semi-structured interviews are conducted to see the diversity of the responses in relation with their socio-economic backgrounds with one-to-one interviews and focus groups. It has been found that Albanian women of Prishtina have watched Turkish Soap Operas for years now. Soaps are the escapism from their everyday struggles. It is found that soaps serve as a learning hub, and a way of adding more to the table when discussing with other women. Data shows that women's appeal to Turkish Soap Operas, despite their patriarchal aspects, it helps them understand the role of women in society. Among critical reflections, this study found that women emphasise femicide and the rights of women today by comparing Turkish and Albanian cultures. Mostly, they have been loyal to these soap operas because they have been loyal to them inasmuch as its cultural proximity between the two cultures. The findings contribute to understanding the production of culture in industrial societies beyond what the system imposes on people for consumerist reasons only.