Graduate Student, Institute of Film and Television Studies
Thesis Title: Hollywood Remix: Processes of Transcultural Appropriation in the Popular Cinemas of Turkey, India and the Philippines
About
Theories of globalisation often position American culture as a hegemonic force, travelling through different countries, dominating indigenous cultures and effacing cultural diversity. What exactly happens, however, when these American products are appropriated by other cultures? This thesis explores these issues by looking specifically at how tangible elements (plots, characters, music and sfx) from American cinema and television were adapted and transformed in the popular film industries of Turkey, India and the Philippines.
Building on studies of narratology and transculturalism, my research proposes a comparative taxonomic model in order to analyse the specificity of these ‘transcultural appropriations’ and relate this to the wider socio-historic context in which they were produced. This is not an attempt to rigidly define a static, universal typology, but rather to mark out certain tendencies which can help us to understand the ways in which borrowings arise, and the possible determinants of certain modes of transcultural appropriation.
Considering such films as Turist Omer Uzay Yolunda (Turkey, 1973), Alyas Batman en Robin (Phillipines, 1993), and Kaante (India, 2002) -- films which appropriate and adapt elements from Star Trek, Batman and Reservoir Dogs respectively -- this thesis maps the contours of this phenomenon within the larger context of cultural globalisation. Complicating prevailing notions of American cultural domination, this research ultimately suggests a more nuanced model of transnational flow and exchange.
Supervised by Professor Roberta Pearson and Dr Paul Grainge, this research is funded by the AHRC.
Contact Information
http://www.bfi.org.uk/filmtvinfo/researchers/mirr/researcher/501
