ABSTRACT
A boundary, such as the one between 'Dutchness' and 'Turkishness', consists of contrasts. Such contrasts always have an objective and a subjective part. Many Turkish families found the egalitarian free-and-easy behaviour of the Dutch offensive, and desired to protect 'Turkish culture' against the alien intrusions of the new environment. Turkish commercial satellite television helps to reduce cultural difference to more manageable proportions. Turkish satellite television is also 'too commercial' in the sense of cheap and silly. The commercialisation of Turkish television culture has affected the public face of social life in yet another way. Cultural minorities are understandably more anxious about loss of identity than are cultural majorities, and the Turkish immigrants were no exception. Various stories told by young women attest to the helpful role of Turkish television in getting their points across. One girl gleefully recounts how she has got her mother to acknowledge the possibility that she might have a boyfriend.
