ALEVİLİK ARAŞTIRMALARINDA SELF ORYANTALİ

Abstract

Alevi's literature has increased after 1990. It is written in many books on Alewism. Alevism has become the most popular topics of the agenda. These works have told what they hoped to be rather than existing. Every writer has defined Alewism according to their own understanding. This definition has been presented as real Alevism and these writers have looked for evidences into history of Alewism to prove these allegations. In these works researchers in accordance with the definition Geertz's “model for”, while trying to explain what actually is Alewism as well that what should be. The ethno-centric attitude of authors who separate the world as West and east and legitimate colonialism in an orientalist viewpoint has been accepted by Alevi authors in the books that have been written to identify the Alevis. Therefore Alevi authors looked for traces of rationality, humanism, inquiry, secularism, freedom, equality and women's rights. The Alevi tradition and heritage that root back about a millennium were exanimated on the basis of some popular concepts. However this results derived were presented as real Alevism. The theological and mystic side of Alewism was neglected and the Alewism was converted to a modern ideology by the hand of these writers. While Alewism is idolized Sunnism was caricatured by these authors.