Popular Culture: Power and Position in Popular TV Fiction

Research by Jiang & Leung (2012), has shown that television fiction (TV fiction) has often been identified as a platform where realities are portrayed. These realities include, but are not limited to, the lifestyles and everyday narrative appeals. In Malaysia, a majority of Malay TV fiction emphasize Malay identities and everyday lifestyles. Such emphases are most clearly expressed in the scripted talk that the characters act out. Despite the importance of the talk, however, a comprehensive and precise understanding of what the talk entails remains scarce in Malaysia. Based on Conversation Analysis (CA) (Hutchby & Wooffitt, 2008) of 20 relevant scripted talks, we attempt to show that Malay TV fiction constitutes struggles for power and position. For example, we show that power over arguments involves Malays competing for the position of the “dominant knower.” “A dominant knower” wins conversation by employing reasons related to religion, society, and culture over logical bases to settle their disagreements. This study contributes to our awareness on the nature of power and position in the popular culture scene.