Teaching History, Learning Piety an Alevi Foundation in Contemporary Turkey Markussen, Hege
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Teaching History, Learning Piety an Alevi Foundation in Contemporary Turkey Markussen, Hege 2012 Document Version: Publisher's PDF, also known as Version of record Link to publication Citation for published version (APA): Markussen, H. (2012). Teaching History, Learning Piety: an Alevi Foundation in Contemporary Turkey. Sekel Bokförlag. 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LUND UNIVERSITY PO Box 117 221 00 Lund +46 46-222 00 00 Teaching history, learning piety An Alevi foundation in contemporary Turkey Teaching history, learning piety An Alevi foundation in contemporary Turkey Hege Irene Markussen Teaching history, learning piety An Alevi foundation in contemporary Turkey Hege Irene Markussen The publication of this thesis has been made possible by grants from Faculties of Humanities and Theology, Lund University Centre of Middle Eastern Studies, Lund University © Sekel Bokförlag and Hege Irene Markussen, Lund 2012 Cover: Johanna Åkerberg Layout: i&j Cover Picture: The cem evi in Şahkulu Sultan Dergahı. From www.sahkulu.org Tryck: InterPress, Budapest 2012 Lund Studies in History of Religions Volume 32 Centre for Theology and Religious Studies, Lund University issn 1103-4882 isbn 978-91-87199-00-4 Table of contents Introduction 9 What this thesis is about 10 Methodologies 11 The fieldwork in retrospect 11 Main characteristics of the fieldwork 14 Ethnography and Narratives 16 The use of material: Anecdotes and people 17 Alevi research history: Three decades of continuities and change 20 A theoretical framework: Memory cultures 23 The thesis chapter by chapter 25 1. The foundation and its contexts 29 Şahkulu as a centre for migrants: Transnational, local and national aspects 30 Şahkulu and transnational Alevi mobilization 32 Şahkulu as a local centre for migrants in Istanbul 35 Kurdish migrants in Şahkulu 37 Alevi-Sunni antagonism in Alevi mobilization 39 Summary 46 2. The cem ritual. An account of a performance 47 The cem evi and it’s symbolism 50 Alevi-BektaŞi mysticism and the tarikat 53 Establishing consent in the ritual community 58 Ritual performances in the Alevi cem 62 Summary 66 3. Transmission of ritual knowledge: A theoretical approach 69 A theoretical approach to the cem ritual 71 © Sekel Bokförlag and Hege Irene Markussen, Lund 2012 Ritual criticism as communication of ritual knowledge 72 Commemoration of rural authenticity 73 Cover: Johanna Åkerberg Ritual criticism and scholarly research 75 Layout: i&j Ritual criticism and the “Transfer of Ritual” 77 Cover Picture: The cem evi in Şahkulu Sultan Dergahı. Contextual chances triggering ritual change 77 Internal dynamics triggering ritual change 80 From www.sahkulu.org Ritual criticism and the Alevi-Sunni dichotomy 81 Tryck: InterPress, Budapest 2012 Summary 87 Lund Studies in History of Religions Volume 32 4. Alevi authorities. Between rural practices and Centre for Theology and Religious Studies, Lund University urban realities 89 issn 1103-4882 Saints and dedes 91 isbn 978-91-87199-00-4 Relating to the saints: Wish fulfilment and keramet 92 Relating to the dedes: Subtle abilities and God-given authority 95 The dedes and the foundations 98 Past and present conditions for dedelik 99 Past and present dedes 101 Dedes and the intellectuals 103 Knowledge of and knowledge about Alevilik 105 Summary 107 5. Mediating Alevilik. Intellectual readings of poetry in the Alevilik lectures 109 The use of poetry in Alevi religion and culture 110 Approaches to intellectuality in the Alevilik lectures 113 Readings of poetry in the alevilik lectures 115 Reading of the poem Kara Toprak by Aşik Veysel 115 Readings of deification of Ali in Alevi poetry 117 Teaching Alevilik intellectually: What does mediation add to the Alevi memory? 120 Summary 121 6. Alevi historiography “Sufism of the Anatolian people” 123 Esat Hoca’s analyses of the Alevilik as syncretistic 124 Evolution as the foundation of Esat Hoca’s syncretistic Alevilik 126 Esat Hoca and Alevilik as socialism 128 Şakir Baba’s analyses of Alevilik as syncretistic 130 A historical background of the notion of Alevilik as syncretistic 134 From American protestant missionaries to the Young Turk movement 135 Alevi Sufism and the Turkish nationalist discourse 139 Syncretism as survival, transference or nature 141 Syncretism and nationalism 144 Summary 147 7. The quest for piety. Two cases of individual appropriation of Alevi teachings 149 Appropriating Alevilik: Evrim and Nur 151 Realization of piety: Evrim and Nur’s approaches to listening 154 Bodily practices and cultivation of piety: The performance of semah 157 Subordination and the authority in the quest for piety 161 Nur: A history of suffering 162 Nur’s interpretation of the battle at Kerbela 164 Pir Sultan Abdal and the Sivas fire 166 Evrim: Shamanizing Alevilik 168 Summary 170 Concluding remarks 173 Acknowledgements his project, and my general interest in Turkey, has brought me from TBergen to Lund, to Turkey and back to Lund. Throughout this jour- ney, I have enjoyed the company, support and friendship of a number of people who have influenced and directed my project in various directions. The result would not have been the same without the inspiration of every single one of them. During this project, Lund University has proven to be a valuable institu- tion for someone with an academic interest in religious and cultural aspects of Turkish society. As a Doctoral Candidate at the Centre for Theology and Religious Studies, I have had the privilege of attending the Higher Seminars of Islamology and of History and Anthropology of Religion, chaired through the years by Professor Emeritus Tord Olsson, Professor Emeritus Jan Hjärpe, Professor Olle Qvarnström, Professor Leif Stenberg and Associate Professor Jonas Otterbeck. Special thanks to my colleagues and friends Dr Kristina Myrvold, Rickard Lagervall, Dr Åsa Trulsson, Dr Ann Kull, Anders Ackfeldt, Johan Cato, Carl Johan Evander, Dr Simon Stjernholm, Dr Kristina Hellner-Taylor, Max Nordin, Dr Torsten Janson, Dr Pierre Wiktorin and Dr Åse Pilz for contributing to the good atmosphere and qualified discussions which have marked these seminars. My supervisor Professor Emeritus Tord Olsson, Professor Leif Stenberg, Associate Profes- sor Jonas Otterbeck and Professor Ann-Christine Hornborg have all spent considerable time reading and commenting on the manuscript. Thank you all for your supportive and critical reflections. Thanks also to the adminis- trative staff at CTR. My deep appreciation and thanks to the Centre for Middle Eastern Studies and its director, Leif Stenberg. The expertise gathered at this Centre is beyond expectation and the reception is always friendly and supportive. My time in Turkey has been generously funded by the Crafoord Foun- dation and the Joint Faculties of Humanities and Theology. During the first 7 phase of my fieldwork I held a scholarship placed at the Swedish Research Institute in Istanbul, which is a cherished location for research and reflec- tion. My gratitude goes to the former Director, Professor Elisabeth Özdalga for taking an interest in my project and for reading and commenting on the manuscript. Special thanks also to the administrative staff of that time, Sidsel Braaten and Kari Çağtay for guidance, help and friendship. In Istanbul, I am indebted to the people at Şahkulu for welcoming me into the community and for revealing their ideas and reflections with such patience and sincerity. The final publication has been proofread by Kay Hutchings from KJ Language Services and co-funded by the Centre for Middle Eastern Studies. Thank you! On a personal note, I want to thank my colleague and friend from Ber- gen University, Associate Professor Richard Johan Natvig. You have always believed in my abilities, even in times when I have not met expectations. Thank you, Richard, for all the support throughout these years. If I have anything close to a mentor in my professional life, it is you – and I am forever grateful for our friendship. I thank my father Stein, my mother Karin and her husband Eilev for their love and support of all kinds. Words cannot sufficiently express my gratitude to you and to my daughters, Ada and Asya, who constantly re- mind me of the important things in life. 8 Introduction t The First World Congress for Middle Eastern Studies (WOCMES) A in Mainz 2002, I chaired a full-day session on “Alevism”.1 It was a long day filled with presentations and discussions mostly centred on social, cultural and religious changes experienced by Alevi communities. Towards the end of the day, a woman in the last row raised her hand and expressed her satisfaction with the papers and discussions she had listened to throughout the day. She had only one question left in her mind and that was “Who are these Alevis?” As I was a novice in the field of Alevi studies and had just started the doctoral project that has now resulted in this thesis, I looked around for some volunteers to give the woman an answer. A moment of silence occurred as most of the researchers on the panel probably wondered what to include in a short introduction to such a complex issue, but suddenly another woman from the audience stood up and offered her help.