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folklor I edebiyat . halkbilim• etnoloji • antropoloji • mOzikoloji • tarih • edebiyat Oc;: AYLIK KOLTOR DERGiSi ISSN 1300-7491 CiLT: VIII SAYI:X)[X 2002/1 · Sahibi Ulus/ararasr Egitim Basm Yaym Turizm Tic. Ltd. $ti. Gene/ Yaym Yonetmeni Metin Turan Sorumlu Yazri§leri Miidiirii Dr. Faruk Gii~lii Akad~mik Dam~ma ve Hakem Kurulu Prof. Dr. ilhan B~goz, Prof. Dr. Hasan Ozdemir, Prof. Dr. Taner Timur, Prof. Dr. Fuat Bozkurt, Prof. Dr. ilhan Tomanbay, Prof. Dr. Muhan Bali, Prof. Dr. Metin Karadag, Prof. Dr. Ha~im Karpuz, Prof. Dr. Ensar Asian, Doc;.Dr. ismaU Ozturk, Doc;. Dr. Asker Kartan·, Doc;. Dr. Ali Osman OztUrk, Doc;. Dr. Er~an Artun, Doc;: Dr. Ata Atun, Yrd. Doc;. Dr. Muhsine Helimoglu Yavuz, Yrd. Doc;. Dr. Mehmet Yardtmct, Dr. ~ukru Gnnbulut Yonetim Yeri ve Yaza~ma Adresi Hatay Sokak 9/19, 06410 Klz~ay-Ankara Tel:(312) 425 39 20 Fax: (312) 417 57 23 E-mail: [email protected] Abone Ko~ullan Yurtic;i Y!lhk (Postalama ucreti dahil): 40.000.000.-TL (Ogrenci ve ogretim uyelerine %50 indirirrllid!r.) Avrupa ic;in Saytst: 25 OM Y!lhk Abone Bedeli: 100 OM Amerika ic;in SayJSt: 25 $ Y!lhk Abone Bedeli: 100$ Abone bedelinin Metin Turan adma 104233 numarah pasta c;eki hesabma ya da Halk Bankast Me~rutiyet ~ubesi'ndeki 15528 numarah hesaba yabruarak, dekonfun adresimize gonderilmesi gereklidir. (Abonelerimiz y!l ic;indekl fiyat artt~ lanndan etkllenmezler.) Folklor/Edebiyat'ta yaytmlanan yaztlar Indiana Uniuersity-MLA Folklore Bibliyography ic;inde kaydedilmektedir_ Dizgi ve Ofset Hazrrlrk Uluslararast Ltd. ~ti. Tel: (312) 425 39 20 Fax: (312) 417 57 23 Baskt&CUt: Ba~kent Matbaast, Ankara Neven;J Gramatikova -:- Changing fates and the issue of Alevi identity in Bulgaria he problem of identity has always figured in the historical fate of every eth- nic and religious group. Today, at the end of the cosmopolitan 2oth century, Tidentity is not a characteristic feature of the psychology of advanced Western societies in countries with a high level of economic prosperit y. If national administrations were balanced in both t heory and practice, the problem·of identity would not come to the fore. However, in most of the world balance is lacking, bringing identity up as an extremely painful issue. There has never been an ideal pattern for administration even in the multinational empires of Middle Ages and Modern H.istory. In this connection, the identity of one com- . munity or another engendered political or military clashes. The problem of identi­ ty of a particular community is extremely topical in periods of historical cataclysm or of changing social, interethnic, and international relationships. In addition, in many cases identity turns into a catalyst and indicator of complex deeper process­ es. This is borne -out by the presen.t situation in the Balkans. The question.of identity may be considered on the individual and group levels. In stable ethnic communities these levels overlap, but this does not always obtain, especially within minority groups subject to pressure. However, even stable com­ munities display deviations from group identity, without much oppos,ition to such deviations. However, such cases are not the result of a conscious desire by individ­ uals to differentiate themselves. or to denounce their identities; they are rat;her a response to situations in which individuals are placed. In a number of cases we may view this position as a method of penetrating another milieu, or as a matter of sur­ vival, or of self-realisation. It would not be far-fetched to view this position as an aspect of integration. Education, work, home, and ·the family and social environ­ ment play important roles in this connection. Ottoman, Islamic and ethnological r~searchers know that the Bulgarian lands provided fertile grounds for unorthodox Islam. This became widespread, leaving a ~ lmernariona.l Center for ~ority Srud.ies "and lnrerculrural Relations (IMIR} Sofia I Bulgario. 29 living tradition today. Despite strong pressures against it at various periods, the culture of heterodox Islam succeeded in retaining .and preserving its originality. For a number of reasons (age among others), I think we have missed the unique oppor­ tunity to observe, register and analyse at first hand a culture which involves very interesting and diverse elements. This opportunity existed in Bulgaria until the 1920s and 30s. Of course, the heterodox Islamic tradition remained alive and active in subsequent periods, but it experienced the influence of social changes both in Bulgaria and in Turkey, the successor of the former Ottoman Empire. Today, as a result of thorough globalisation, the victory of national over reli­ gious consciousness, and migration driven by economic crises, we have the last chance (in the Author's opinion) to study this tradition while it is still living. The reasons why the heterodox Muslim community, designated in Bulgarian studies as 'the Aliani' survived are definitely rooted in its closed nature and its iso ~ lation from groups around it. At the same time, symbolic components, the lan­ guage, and the commonality of soda-formative cultural factors, have provided suf­ fici~nt co-ordination for the behaviour and activity of the people from the Alevi community. This has ensured the passing of information between generations, guaranteeing continuity'. The traditional culture of every nation, and of smaller ethnic and ethnic-religious groups in particular, provides the basis of their self-con­ sciousness as a whole. Today, we witness two trends in traditional culture at the individual and social levels. The first consists of abandoning traditional culture, with the conscious or, unconscious desire to throw off the burdens of centuries. In this way, heirs to·a par-: ticular culture demonstrate a disposition to rid themselves of prejudices, becoming: citizens of the world. They set off ~o a future in which all that is 'ethnic,' 'tradi- tional,' or 'ethnic-cultural,' will belong to reference books. The other trend in traditipnal cultures entails attempts to search for the roots of personalities and the group. The need to answer questions like 'Who am I?' or'. 'Where do 1 come from?' shows a desire to join the culture of ancestors. Not one traditional culture anywhere can escape involvement in the worldwide process of urbanisation with all . its positive and negative implicatioris.1 Unfortunately, by losing touch with the culture of our ancestors, we fall at-odds_ with nature, with the community, and even with ourselves. , All the above applies to the traditional culture of the Bulgarian Alevi. In fact, ; their pre~ence in the Bulgarian lands is not historically conspicuous. Until recently, life in this community ran with a customary monotony, as if all was frozen, any dynamicism and change in traditions and stereotypes being rare. More dynamiC · processes began developing in the 1970s. Since then the traditional cultural system · and way of life began-to change visibly. 1 Zhukoskaya, N. P.: Sud'ba kochevoy kulturiy. Moskva 1990: 4; (Zhukoskaya, N. P. The Fa~e of . Nomad Culture. Moscow 1990: 4) · 30 """""-""""""'"'""""'"""'·"''-="·""'·w~~"""'==-= folklorledebiyat In this particular case we are looking at a small ethnic-religious group and have the unique opportunity to trace the development of the community coming into contact with an alien religious and ethnic environment. We can view this as a facet ofthe large issue of contact and conflict between different cultural patterns. All small groups are bearers of specific culture patterns with their own charac­ teristic features. In this sense I accept as well grounded Oswa ld Spengler's thesis that world history consists of the dramas of a great number of cu ltures drawing primiti~e strength from Mot her-Earth.2 . Each of them is soundly tied to Earth throughout its lifespan, imprints its lil~eness onto its 'material:' people. Each has its own ideas, will, feelings, and passions. Each has its own life and death. According to Spengler there are cultures, nations, languages, truths, gods, and lands that flourish and grow old. And each culture has its own opportunities for expression which emerge, ripen, and wither; but which never come bacl~. Since the history of civilization is the history of separate cultures, the interest in each of them is justified and necessary as long as it has purely cognitive and ele­ vated purposes. Each culture is a rung on the chain of time and contains its own features along with ideas and practices that have existed before it. One culture which has experienced its flourishing is that of the Alevi (K1zrlba~). Time will show if it will become hist ory, or overcome the hurc;lles it faces. The reasonable questions of 'Who are we?', 'Whither are we headed?', 'Is it worth turning back to the past?', and 'What lies ahead?' served as a catalyst for my studies on the Alevi in general.3 However, I also had purely personal, emotional, and moral motives. I myself belong to this community. I have been and still am emotionally involved in its history and its current fate. Being the product of.a peri­ od during which there was some pressure against manifestations of certain reli­ gious and ethnic consciousnesses, I admit that prior to starting my studies, I knew · nothing or next to nothing of my own ethnic-religious group. The religious tradi­ .tions which the eldest generation observed in secret were taboo for children like me, and even for my parents. They themselves and people their age had almost no idea of the religious, political and ethnic past of their ancestors. Athe!st propagan­ da had served· its purpose. Most of the elder generation also knew almost nothing. It was as if the monotony of time had destroyed the historical memory of these people. It is only their religious tradition and personal names that give some ind,i­ cations in this direction.

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