The Transnational Mobilization of the Alevis of TurkeyFrom Invisibility to the Struggle for Equality

Abstract

This chapter examines the emergence and dynamics of the transnational Alevi movement since the 1990s in both Turkey and Western Europe. As a social movement, it asserts the distinction of Alevi identity from Sunni Islam and seeks official recognition and equal citizenship rights in Turkey and Europe where a large number of Alevis live. Accordingly, the chapter first provides an overview of the debates on who the Alevis are and what Alevism is, as the contestation around definition shapes the factions and alignments within the Alevi movement. It then outlines the institutional context within which the Alevi movement emerged, tracing the influence of the Ottoman legacy on nation-state building and how these dynamics shaped the strategies adopted by competing factions within the state together with their evolution over time. Finally, it discusses the mobilization of the Alevi movement from the 1990s onward, its politics of recognition, factionalism, party political engagement, and key challenges. While prospects for gaining recognition and equal citizenship rights will grow more elusive with deepening authoritarianism of the Turkish state and sectarianism in the AKP era, the achievements of the transnational movement in Western Europe stand to shape the future of Alevism.