Book contents
- The Cambridge History of the Kurds
- The Cambridge History of the Kurds
- Copyright page
- Contents
- Figures
- Maps
- Tables
- Contributors
- Acknowledgements
- Abbreviations
- Additional material
- Introduction
- Part I Historical Legacies
- Part II Regional Political Developments and the Kurds in the Twentieth and Twenty-First Centuries
- Part III Domestic Political Developments and the Kurds in the Twentieth and Twenty-First Centuries
- Part IV Religion and Society
- 19 Religion in Kurdistan
- 20 Religion and Politics in Turkey’s Kurdistan from the Beginning of the Republic
- 21 ‘Kurdish’ Religious Minorities in the Modern World
- 22 The Kurdish Alevis
- 23 Tribes and Their Changing Role in Kurdish Politics and Society
- Part V Kurdish Language
- Part VI Art, Culture and Literature
- Part VII Transversal Dynamics
- Index
- References
22 - The Kurdish Alevis
The Followers of the Path of Truth (Raa Haq/Riya Heqi)
from Part IV - Religion and Society
Published online by Cambridge University Press: 13 April 2021
By
Book contents
- The Cambridge History of the Kurds
- The Cambridge History of the Kurds
- Copyright page
- Contents
- Figures
- Maps
- Tables
- Contributors
- Acknowledgements
- Abbreviations
- Additional material
- Introduction
- Part I Historical Legacies
- Part II Regional Political Developments and the Kurds in the Twentieth and Twenty-First Centuries
- Part III Domestic Political Developments and the Kurds in the Twentieth and Twenty-First Centuries
- Part IV Religion and Society
- 19 Religion in Kurdistan
- 20 Religion and Politics in Turkey’s Kurdistan from the Beginning of the Republic
- 21 ‘Kurdish’ Religious Minorities in the Modern World
- 22 The Kurdish Alevis
- 23 Tribes and Their Changing Role in Kurdish Politics and Society
- Part V Kurdish Language
- Part VI Art, Culture and Literature
- Part VII Transversal Dynamics
- Index
- References
Summary
“Despite their large population and their remarkable place in the Kurdish and Alevi history, only recently the Kurdish Alevis became the centre of attention and discussion among the public and the academicians. This was mainly due to their ethnic and religious identities. Considered as ‘heretic’ by the Ottoman administration they were singled out for centuries.Once the borders of the Ottoman Empire disintegrated and became the Republic of Turkey, the Kurdish Alevis were now ostracized as an ethno-religious group, which led to a painful suppression during the twentieth century. It is due to the input of fieldwork carried out by activists and researchers since 1980s that we are now better informed about their authentic beliefs, myths, religious organizations and ceremonies performed in Zazaki and Kurmanci. This chapter does not only offer an overview of these findings, but also the critical turning points in their history and the main features of their religious tenets, their contemporary state in Turkey and Western Europe and the ongoing debates they are participating in.”
Keywords
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- Chapter
- Information
- The Cambridge History of the Kurds , pp. 560 - 580Publisher: Cambridge University PressPrint publication year: 2021
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