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Muslim Societies and the Challenge of Secularization: An Interdisciplinary Approach pp 113–129Cite as

Turkish Secular Muslim Identity on Display in Europe

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Part of the book series: Muslims in Global Societies Series ((MGSS,volume 1))

Abstract

Nasreddin Hodja1 is a popular folkloric figure in tales, anecdotes, and humor stories told and loved in many parts of the Middle East, Central Asia, Balkans, and North Africa. Hodja has a religious significance and he is considered to be a protective saint in Aksehir, Turkey and is venerated by local people. Furthermore, in the stories attributed to him, he appears as a minor cleric and plays merry pranks in some stories similar to the German trickster figure Till Eulenspiegel. Nineteenth-century French and German orientalists, such as Basset, Horn, and Wesselski, introduced him and his stories to Europe about a century ago (Basset 1987; Özgü ). However, Nasreddin Hodja recently gained a new visibility in Europe.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Kennesaw State University, Kennesaw, USA

    Hakki Gurkas (Assistant Professor of History)

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  1. Hakki Gurkas
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  1. Asia Research Institute, National University of Singapore, Bukit Timah Road 10-01, Singapore, 259770, Singapore

    Gabriele Marranci

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Gurkas, H. (2010). Turkish Secular Muslim Identity on Display in Europe. In: Marranci, G. (eds) Muslim Societies and the Challenge of Secularization: An Interdisciplinary Approach. Muslims in Global Societies Series, vol 1. Springer, Dordrecht. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-90-481-3362-8_8

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