Vefailik, Bektaşilik, Kızılbaşlık

Some assumptions about Anatolian religious and cultural history, which have become paradigmatic, but have not been sufficiently tested and problematized, as formulated by Fuad Köprülü in the early 20th century, continue to shape the view of Alevi-Bektashi history to a large extent - although sometimes inverted to support different positions in the arena of identity politics. As a matter of fact, bipolar oppositions such as "oral culture-written culture", "high Islam-folk Islam", "orthodoxy-heterodoxy" and normative conceptualizations such as "syncretism" are in line with mainstream Turkey/Ottoman historiography. It constitutes a commonality that is often overlooked in opposition researchers' perspectives on the Alevi-Bektashi past. Is it widely accepted? At this point today, it seems possible and essential to question these assumptions and the alternative meta-narratives built upon them, both at the conceptual level and to test them in the light of new data.

Loyalism, Bektashiism, Kızılbaşism have spread over many years in this direction. It is the product of an effort. All but one of the articles in the work are based on documents and manuscripts in the private archives of Alevi dede families, which began to come to light following the Alevi cultural revival in the 1990s. These extremely important new written sources, which have not yet attracted the attention of historians, not only provide us with brand new data and fresh and more nuanced perspectives beyond existing patterns about the main issues of Alevi-Bektashi history, but also reveal the "big story" of Anatolian religious and cultural history. corrects at important points.

In his writings collected in this book, Karakaya-Stump breaks new ground in Alevi history studies by making hitherto unused documents speak with great mastery. I hope that others will follow him with steps that will shake the same solid and conventional outdated discourses to their roots, so that we can write Alevi history reflecting all its richness. In short, this book is the first deep breath of real Alevi historiography - it should be read with digestion. Prof. Dr. Ahmet T. Karamustafa, University of Maryland Those who want to have information about the formation of Alevism and its place in Ottoman history should read this book; Those who think they are knowledgeable on these subjects should definitely read it. A rare example where the word game changer finds its perfect place.
-Prof. Dr. Cemal Kafadar, Harvard University-
(From the Promotional Bulletin)



Number of Pages: 254

Year of Printing: 2016


Language: Turkish
Publisher: Istanbul Bilgi University Publications

Editor: Cem Tüzün

First Print Year: 2015

Number of Pages: 254

Language Turkish