An Evaluation on the General Framework of Master's Theses on 'Alevism' Produced in Theology Faculties

Abstract

The issue of Alevism, in terms of its religious-social and political contexts, is one of the most topical issues in Turkey. Its historical roots, cultural heritage, and positioning in the religious sphere have led Alevism to be handled with intense sociological baggage from past to present. In addition, being at the center of politics, its social dimensions and social memory have added many different aspects to the subject. All these aspects can be counted among the main reasons why Alevism has become a subject that is sometimes tired of interpretation and analysis. Looking at the chronological background of the debate, it is noteworthy that interpretations of the historical origins of Alevism vary. Current approaches to the subject have brought about new terminologies and searches for Alevism in the process of modernization. Within the modern socio-political framework, different forms of discourse on the traditional structure of Alevism have diverged from the main issue as sub-issues and gained new contexts. In this study, among this diversity of approaches to Alevism, a general framework of postgraduate studies on "Alevis" and "Alevism" in the theology academy, an important field in determining the basic discussion framework of the subject in Turkey, has been revealed. The primary purpose of the study is to present a framework view of Alevis as a category that emerged as an important identity area on the axis of religion-culture and has not lost its topicality in the identity debates in Turkey; the intensity of being on the agenda in the Theology academy, the language thresholds that emerged at the point of focusing on the subject, and the dimensions of the fundamental problem that are related to the subject matter of the basic problem tried to be solved through postgraduate theses (master's degree). In this context, statistical data on the subject was obtained by scanning the master's theses on "Alevis" and "Alevism" in different disciplines in Turkish Theology between 2000 and 2022 and registered in the thesis database of YÖK. The searches were made within the framework of basic concepts such as 'Alevi, Alevis, Alevism, Bektashi, Bektashis, Bektashism, Tahtacı, Cem, Dede, Semah, Musahip, and Opening' and it was tried to reach all thesis documents registered in the system. Doctoral dissertations were excluded because they exceeded the limits of this study. The theses were not analyzed in terms of content, but only in terms of their "problematization of Alevism and problematization of the issue", which would allow for deepening the interpretation and evaluation of the statistical data. As a result of the study, it is noteworthy that there is a current interest in the issue of Alevism in the theology academy in Turkey, and the number of theses written in different disciplines on the subject has attracted attention. However, this interest is generally focused on the cultural inventory of the issue. It is understood that there is a need for more studies on how the issue finds a place in the functioning of daily life in terms of social typologies and identities. Indeed, considering the identity dimension of the Alevism issue and its topicality, it can be stated that these studies can be effective in producing a deep academic perspective on the issue. In addition, it has also been determined that this perspective can be functional in addressing the seemingly complex aspects of the issue in the social plan that need to be analyzed.