Global TV Series and the Political Imagination

Global TV Series and the Political Imagination explores the transformative power of television in the digital age. We live in an era profoundly influenced by the proliferation of global and national streaming services, where contemporary television series have the ability to shape viewers’ political and ethical imaginations. This volume examines how television series reflect and address social issues, power dynamics, and competing ideological perspectives in various cultural and political contexts, with a nuanced analysis of the political implications embedded in their narratives.

Using case studies from sixteen countries across the world with very distinct political contexts and cultures, it offers an expanded view of the global television landscape beyond the traditional focus on anglophone productions. This diversity highlights cross-cultural similarities and differences in the production and reception of television series, and considers the varying effects of globalization on local cultural approaches.

The book makes a strong contribution to the emerging field of TV philosophy, bringing together writings by a diverse group of scholars from different academic disciplines that deepen our understanding of television series as a vital cultural and political force in a globalized world. It will appeal to specialists and students in media studies, cultural studies, philosophy, and related fields, as well as the general reader interested in the impact of modern television formats.

Anastasia Krutikova is a postdoctoral researcher at Waseda University, Tokyo. She holds a Ph.D. in socio-cultural anthropology from the École des hautes études en sciences sociales (EHESS). Her research focuses on anthropological theory, media anthropology and secondary education in France and Russia.

Tatsiana Zhurauliova is a postdoctoral fellow at the Université Paris 1 Panthéon-Sorbonne, as part of the ERC Demoseries project. She received her PhD in art history from Yale University in 2014. She has held the positions of Associate Researcher and Research and Teaching Fellow at the Université Paris Nanterre and the Université de Paris, and Collegiate Assistant Professor and Postdoctoral Fellow at the University of Chicago. Her research focuses on the intersection of visual culture and discourses on identity and difference in the US and Eastern Europe.