IBAD Sosyal Bilimler Dergisi

Öz

This study examines how hegemonic masculinity, class privilege, and gendered obedience are constructed and reproduced in the Turkish television series Yalı Çapkını through a multimodal critical discourse analysis. The research addresses the following question: How does Yalı Çapkını construct and maintain gender and class hierarchies through verbal, visual, and spatial discourse? Drawing on a gender-focused media perspective, the analysis investigates four episodes (2, 14, 27, and 40) selected for their thematic and discursive density. The findings reveal that male characters assert authority through direct commands, spatial centrality, and emotional restraint, while female characters are positioned through silence, indirect expression, and moral framing. Silence is found to function not only as a sign of submission but also as a limited form of resistance. The visual and spatial organization of scenes—such as character placement, camera framing, and domestic space—further reinforce patriarchal and class-based authority. The study contributes to critical media research by showing how gendered power is symbolically performed in popular television through communicative asymmetry and aesthetic strategies. By situating the analysis within the cultural and narrative context of Turkish media, the study offers both theoretical and methodological insights. Future research may benefit from including audience reception data, expanding intersectional analysis, or conducting cross-cultural comparisons to explore how these symbolic power structures resonate beyond national boundaries