The Enlargement of Meaning

This article explores the idea of social demand, as developed by Marc Raboy and his colleagues, with reference to the media consumption of Turkish-speaking migrants living in London. The authors begin by reflecting on the conceptual and theoretical framework within which it might be possible to understand the nature of social demand in such a transnational context. They argue that it is necessary to move beyond the categories that have been used to address national cultures and media. Rather than thinking through identity categories, the authors prefer to put the category of experience, or what John Dewey termed ‘knowledge-experience’, at the centre of concern. The article then seeks to operationalize this category through an analysis of fieldwork undertaken in two research projects in London. The article argues that, as a consequence of their transnational positioning, Turkish-speaking migrants formulate distinctive social demands beyond the national frame. What these migrants are doing is negotiationg a position between different cultural and political domains.