Fatehatul Bushra
Research Mentor: Swapnil Rai
Mentor Department: University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, LSA
Author(s): Fatehatul Bushra, Swapnil Rai
Session: Session 1 (9:00 AM – 9:50 AM)
Presentation Type: Poster 81
Abstract
This research examines the cross-cultural popularity of snake-woman narratives in television across India, Turkey, and China. The project focuses on how mythological female figures generate cultural resonance and circulate across media industries through adaptation rather than direct narrative transfer. The primary case study is the Indian television series Naagin (Seasons 1 and 2), which features a shape-shifting serpent woman seeking revenge. To provide comparative context, the study also considers the Chinese White Snake mythology and broader patterns in Turkish romantic television drama. Using thematic coding and discourse analysis, the project examines how mythology, femininity, and power are represented in television narratives. The analysis also draws on scholarship on the Chinese White Snake tradition, particularly Liang Luo’s The Global White Snake, to situate the mythological framework within a broader transnational context. Approximately one hundred episodes of the Indian series Iss Pyaar Ko Kya Naam Doon and selected episodes of the Turkish drama Ask Laftan Anlamaz were also reviewed to understand how similar themes of female agency, morality, and emotional conflict appear across different storytelling traditions. Preliminary findings suggest that mythological female characters function as adaptable cultural archetypes that change meaning as stories move across different television contexts. While Indian serpent mythology often emphasizes revenge and supernatural power, Chinese White Snake narratives foreground tragic romance and moral transformation, and Turkish dramas tend to translate similar tensions into contemporary romantic narratives. These patterns illustrate how shared mythological frameworks create elective affinities across cultures, allowing audiences to recognize familiar emotional and moral tensions surrounding women’s roles even across different media traditions.
