Kurdish Alevism: Creating New Ways of Practicing the Religion

This paper will examine the transformation dynamics of social change in Kurdish Alevi communities, while mostly focusing on the increasing sociopolitical and religious role of talips. Until the end of the 20th century, the socio-religious structure of Kurdish Alevis was dominated by two hereditary social positions, much like a caste system: on the one hand, the members of the sacred lineages (ocaks), who embody the religious authority, and on the other hand, the talips who are subordinated to the sacred lineages. This socio-religious structure provided a framework for Kurdish Alevi socioreligious organisations

A Brief Contemporary Overview of Beliefs on Sanctuaries in Shafii Kurdish Communities: The Case of “Beğendik/Bêdar-Bêdar” (Siirt-Pervari)

The concept of Folk Islam is categorized under two notions as “Sunni Folk Islam” and “Heterodox Folk Islam” which mainly emphasizes the divergence from the Koran based Islam. In that sense, it is seen that the beliefs pertinent to Heterodox Folk Islam has been understood as a form of progressive multiple belief system that has been shaped both under the influence of the Islamic features and other diverse belief systems. As for the communities in which the beliefs prevalently attributed to Folk Islam category in Turkey both side of the discussion mainly indicates the same group, Alevis, which is seen as out of the mainstream Islamic beliefs. In this paper, handling Kurdish communities of Shafii cult which is known as the strictest sect, as certain sample case it is aimed at depicting the deepness of the heterodoxy of the beliefs and rituals that leads to the dichotomy of “Sunni Folk Islam-“Heterodox Folk Islam” so as to even negate the existence of such a dichotomy. In this paper, with reference to the findings of anthropological study carried out at the locality of Beğendik/Bêdar town of Pervari district of Siirt province during the dates February-June 2010, distinctiveness of the sanctuaries of Shafii Kurdish Communities in comparison to other communities that have the similar beliefs and rituals will be discussed

Kurdish Alevism: Creating New Ways of Practicing the Religion

This paper will examine the transformation dynamics of social change in Kurdish Alevi communities, while mostly focusing on the increasing sociopolitical and religious role of talips. Until the end of the 20th century, the socio-religious structure of Kurdish Alevis was dominated by two hereditary social positions, much like a caste system: on the one hand, the members of the sacred lineages (ocaks), who embody the religious authority, and on the other hand, the talips who are subordinated to the sacred lineages. This socio-religious structure provided a framework for Kurdish Alevi socioreligious organisations

Kurdish Alevism: Creating New Ways of Practicing the Religion

This paper will examine the transformation dynamics of social change in Kurdish Alevi communities, while mostly focusing on the increasing sociopolitical and religious role of talips. Until the end of the 20th century, the socio-religious structure of Kurdish Alevis was dominated by two hereditary social positions, much like a caste system: on the one hand, the members of the sacred lineages (ocaks), who embody the religious authority, and on the other hand, the talips who are subordinated to the sacred lineages. This socio-religious structure provided a framework for Kurdish Alevi socioreligious organisations