Cultural Translation and the Neoliberal Landscape of Glocalized Media

Abstract Glocalization—the production of local content tailored for global consumption—has become a cornerstone strategy for global streaming platforms, which position themselves as both entertainment providers and champions of diversity. This article uses Love is Blind, Habibi , Netflix’s 2024 Arabic-language adaptation of its popular dating series, as a case study to examine the representational challenges and risks inherent in media ‘glocals’ shaped by the tensions between cultural specificity and neoliberal circulation models. I argue that the series embodies a complex process of cultural translation, and in line with a neoliberal vision of diversity, frames the Arab world as both relatable and strategically othered. Simultaneously, recognizing their agency in the participatory culture enabled by the digital age, viewers from the region render the series a contested space, exposing fractures in commodified representations and opening new possibilities for cross-cultural negotiations.