THE PERCEPTION OF THE OTHER: ALEVISM AND ALEVIS

Abstract

The reality of Alevism has been affected by the political, social, religious and cultural aspects of change and transformation processes that it has been exposed to positively or negatively since the first times it emerged (itself and the societies it interacts with) and has survived until today. Along with modernity, there are many data that emerged in the name of the change-continuity relationship experienced in the transition of Alevi communities from village life to city life. Belief, worship, religious authority and the changes that occur in the new religious and social life shaped by them and the structures that show continuity are important. In some field studies, these data are identified and analysed. The subject of the study is to make socio-religious evaluations on the interviews carried out by me at various times with our Alevi citizens living in the Adıyaman region, and on some events and practices observed during this time. In this way, it is aimed to convey the (changing/differentiating) perspectives of individuals and communities living in the region (which they witnessed/exposed) under the shadow of some events and situations, and some value judgments formed accordingly, with the dimensions of "change and continuity". For example, in the Dervish Yusuf narrative, the food ritual is due to the anxiety of positioning against the other. It has revealed the prejudice that Sunnis will not eat the food of Alawites. Some unpleasant events experienced by Talip H. in his school life led him to break away from the Sunni environment as an expected result of othering. In the sense of "prayer" that Rahman Dede attributes to prayer, it is seen that the original meaning of the word has changed as a result of the adventure of marginalization. While searching for the prayer rug that the headman kept in his own house; despite all the separation movements, it is possible to see the Islamic culture in the codes. When teacher M. catches up with the meaning of the tawhid sentences read with an instrument during the cem ritual, a painful confession of othering is seen in the sentences he utters. It reveals that the cultural bigotry about the marriage of Alevis and Sunnis in the region still functions as a mediator of othering. In this article, unlike previous studies for the purpose of recognizing the study area, some of the testimonies of Alevi individuals, who have traditional and modern belief panoramas, in Adıyaman and the understanding of the other that they cause or nourish are emphasized. In the study, besides scientific data scanning, field scanning was also done. Written works were used within the framework of the subject. In addition to this, the interview method, which allows the participants to express their personal thoughts, experiences and perspectives on the subject, was used. Keywords: Alevism, Change, Continuity, Prejudice, Other.