Reconstructing history in mediatized reality: The Turkish TV dramas <i>Diriliş: Ertuğrul</i> and <i>Payitaht: Abdülhamid</i>

This study explores how Turkish history-themed dramas like Diriliş: Ertuğrul [ Resurrection: Ertuğrul ] and Payitaht: Abdülhamid [ The Capital: Abdulhamid ] reconstruct history, shaping socio-political narratives. Using thematic content analysis, it examines selected episodes to identify recurring themes. The findings reveal that history is mediated through populist narratives emphasizing leadership and unity, collective nostalgia invoking the Ottoman heritage, and identity framing reinforcing socio-political ideologies. These dramas function ideologically within Turkey’s mediatized cultural and political environment. This study contributes to understanding the ideological functions of history-themed dramas within Turkey’s mediatized cultural and political landscape, offering a framework for interdisciplinary analyses of media and historiography.