The Kurdish Alevis

doi:10.1017/9781108623711.023

22 - The Kurdish Alevis

The Followers of the Path of Truth (Raa Haq/Riya Heqi)

from Part IV - Religion and Society

Published online by Cambridge University Press: 13 April 2021

Edited by

Cengiz Gunes and

Hamit Bozarslan: Affiliation:
Ecole des Hautes Etudes en Sciences Sociales, Paris
Cengiz Gunes: Affiliation:
The Open University, Milton Keynes
Veli Yadirgi: Affiliation:
School of Oriental and African Studies, University of London

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Summary

“Despite their large population and their remarkable place in the Kurdish and Alevi history, only recently the Kurdish Alevis became the centre of attention and discussion among the public and the academicians. This was mainly due to their ethnic and religious identities. Considered as ‘heretic’ by the Ottoman administration they were singled out for centuries.Once the borders of the Ottoman Empire disintegrated and became the Republic of Turkey, the Kurdish Alevis were now ostracized as an ethno-religious group, which led to a painful suppression during the twentieth century. It is due to the input of fieldwork carried out by activists and researchers since 1980s that we are now better informed about their authentic beliefs, myths, religious organizations and ceremonies performed in Zazaki and Kurmanci. This chapter does not only offer an overview of these findings, but also the critical turning points in their history and the main features of their religious tenets, their contemporary state in Turkey and Western Europe and the ongoing debates they are participating in.”

Keywords

Kurdish Alevis religions in Kurdistan Alevi religion Alevis Dersim Kurdish Alevi diaspora Alevi awakening Kurdish sayyids

Type: Chapter
Information: The Cambridge History of the Kurds , pp. 560 - 580

DOI: https://doi.org/10.1017/9781108623711.023 [Opens in a new window]

Publisher: Cambridge University Press

Print publication year: 2021

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22 - The Kurdish Alevis

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