The Greek audience 'discovers' the Turkish soap-series: Turkey’s 'soft power' and the psyche of Greeks

Abstract

Today’s world is mainly characterised, among other things, by interdependence and confusion. And the best way for a state to distinguish itself from the others is to promote globally a “shiny image”. This kind of strategy focuses on persuasion aiming at the gaining of influence. And this is the rationale behind the promotion of the Turkish TV series globally and especially in the Balkans and the Middle East. This paper tries to elucidate some of the aspects related to the extraordinary, albeit unexpected, success of this “goldmine” called Turkish soap-operas.