Mediatorship in the case of Heartstopper graphic novel series in Turkey

What is it about?

This study shows how the process of mediation includes various sides of clash, expanding its definition from a collaborative effort of agents to a struggle between several mediators in the case of Alice Oseman’s translation of Heartstopper series in Turkey. This change provides a better understanding of the differences between publishing processes in idealized, democratic Western settings and authoritarian contexts, as mediation turns out to be a matter of conflict in the former.

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Photo by Nikolas Gannon on Unsplash

Photo by Nikolas Gannon on Unsplash

Why is it important?

“In authoritarian contexts, children’s and YA literature often turn into a harsh battleground in which adult interventions exert influence or sanctions on literary publications to safeguard the moral aspirations of such audiences in public spheres. Thus, translation and publishing processes become public arenas for discussions in which state and non-state agents are involved. This requires taking stock of the differences in the concept of the public sphere in democratic and authoritarian contexts. Inspired by critical insights into publics and counter publics within the public sphere, we have analyzed the role of multiple mediators in the dissemination of the Heartstopper series in Turkey by situating their complex interactions and their effects on the dissemination of translation product in the spheres of counter and hegemonic publics.”