Alevis

Abstract

The Alevis is a heterodox religious minority in Turkey whose identity is shaped by Shia Islam, elements of popular religious culture. From a traditional, village-based cultural and religious community the Alevis developed in the 1980s and 1990s into a predominantly urban-based movement. In the past decades there was a revival of the Alevi identity. New Alevi associations emerged among urban groups of Alevi background, both in Turkey and in Western Europe. Today the Alevi community in Turkey and in Europe consists of a wide variety of associations. Among them there is some rivalry and debate about what Alevi identity implies and how one should position themselves vis-à-vis the state and the Sunni majority both in Europe and in Turkey.