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Abstract
Traditional Alevism, which was based on rural/isolated life started to dissolve as a result of urbanization in the 1960s and the 1970s. The social dynamics of Turkey associated the dissolution of archaic Alevism with political mobilization that Turkey experienced in the same period; therefore, the Alevis affiliated themselves with socialist movements in order to participate into political process more efficiently. This article analyses the affiliation between Alevis and socialist movements within the framework of the overlap between the socio-political culture of the Alevis and the political needs of the socialist movements in the 1960s and the 1970s. This affiliation might be followed in Alevi folk songs, squatter settlements, villages and the massacres that Alevis suffered in the late 1970s. Because the relation between the Alevis and socialist movements meant not the politicization of the Alevism as an independent politics of identity, but rather the politicization of Alevis through their affiliation with leftist politics, this article conceptualizes the politicization dynamism of the Alevism between 1960 and 1980 as latent politicization.
Disclosure statement
No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author.
Notes
1 E. J. Zürcher, Turkey A Modern History (New York: I.B. Tauris, 1994), p.266.
2 E. Aydınoğlu, Türkiye Solu 1960–1980 [Turkish Left 1960-1980] (Istanbul: Versus, 2007), p.46.
3 K. Karpat, The Gecekondu: The Rural Migration and Urbanization (London: Cambridge University Press, 1976), p. 59.
4 M. N. Danielson, and R. Keleş, The Politics of Rapid Urbanization: Government and Growth in Turkey (New York, London: Holmers, 1985), p. 28.
5 K. Kehl-Bodrogi, Kızılbaş/Aleviler [The Kizilbash/Alevis], trans. Oktay Değirmenci and Bilge Ege Aybudak (Istanbul: Ayrıntı, 2012).
6 For more detailed information on the social organization of traditional Alevism, see. B. Noyan, Bektaşilik-Alevilik Nedir? [What is the Bektashism-Alevism?] (Ankara, 1987); M. Yaman, Alevilik [Alevism] (Istanbul: Ufuk, 1995) and C. Ulusoy, Hünkarhan Bektaş Veli ve Alevi Bektaşi Yolu [Sultan Bektash Veli and the Path of the Alevi-Bektashi] (Hacıbektaş, 1986).
7 A. Yalçınkaya, Alevilikte Toplumsal Kurumlar ve İktidar [The Social Institutions and Power in the Alevism] (Ankara: Mülkiyeliler Birlig˘i Vakfı Yayınları Tezler Dizisi, 1996), p. 176.
8 K. Kehl- Bodrogi, ‘Tarih Mitosu ve Kollektif Kimlik’ [‘The Myth of History and Collective Identity’], Birikim, Vol. 88 (1996), pp. 54–5.
9 D. Shankland, The Alevis in Turkey (London, New York: Routledge, Curzon, 2003), p. 5.
10 K. Karpat, The Politics of Transition: Political Attitudes and Party Affiliation in the Turkish Gecekondu in E. D. Akarlı and G.B. Dor (eds), Political Participation in Turkey (Istanbul: Boğaziçi University Publications, 1975), p.117.
11 The affiliation between Alevis and leftist politics in the 1960s and the 1970s can be analyzed in two dimensions. One of them is the Alevi community’s support of the Republican People’s Party (Cumhuriyet Halk Partisi – CHP); the other is the relation between the Alevis and socialist organizations. However, the relation between the Alevis and CHP lies outside the scope of the article. It deals with the Alevis’ relation with the socialist movement only.
12 S. Zubaida, Islam, the People and the State (London, New York: I.B. Tauris, 1993), pp.87–94.
13 A. Y. Ocak, ‘Alevilig˘in Tarihsel ve Sosyal Tabanı ile Teolojisi Arasındaki İlişki Problemine Dair’ [‘On the Relation between the Historical and Social Bases of Alevism and Its Theology’] in Collective (ed.), Türkiye’de Alevi, Bektaşi, Nusayriler [The Alevi, the Bektashi and the Nusayris in Turkey] (Istanbul: Ensar Neşriyat, 1999), p.394.
14 A. Y. Ocak, Türk Sufiliğine Bakışlar [The Evaluation of Turkish Sufism] (Istanbul: İletişim, 2012), pp.261–289.
15 H. Bozaraslan, ‘Alevism and the Myths of Research: The Need for a New Research Agenda’ in Paul J. White and Joost Jongerden (eds), Turkey’s Alevi Enigma: A Comprehensive Overview (Leiden and Boston: Brill, 2003), p.4.
16 M. Dressler, Writing Religion: The Making of Turkish Alevi Islam (Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2013), pp.1–28.
17 A. Karakaya-Stump, Vefailik, Bektaşilik, Kızılbaşlık: Alevi Kaynaklarını, Tarihini ve Tarihyazımını Yeniden Düşünmek [The Vefa’iyye, the Bektashism, the Kizilbashism: Rethinking the Sources, the History and the Historiography of the Alevism] (Istanbul: Istanbul Bilgi Üniversitesi Yayınları, 2015), pp.6–9.
18 A. Karakaya-Stump, ‘The Vefa’iyye, The Bektashiyye and Genealogies of “Heterodox” Islam in Anatolia: Rethinking the Köprülü Paradigm’, Turcica, Vol. 44 (2012-2013), p.283.
19 A. Karamustafa, ‘Anadolu’nun İslamlaşması Bağlamında Aleviliğin Oluşumu’ [‘The Formation of Alevism within the Context of the Islamization of Anatolia’] in Yalçın Çakmak and İmran Gürtaş (eds), Kızılbaşlık, Alevilik, Bektaşilik: Tarih-Kimlik-İnanç-Ritüel [Kizilbashism, Alevism, Bektashism: History-Identity-Belief-Ritual] (Istanbul: İletişim, 2015), pp.49–51.
20 K. Kehl-Bodrogi, Kızılbaş/Aleviler, trans. Oktay Değirmenci and Bilge Ege Aybudak (Istanbul: Ayrıntı, 2012), pp.38–39.
21 I. Melikoff, Uyur İdik Uyardılar, [They Awakened Us while Sleeping] trans. Turan Alptekin (Istanbul: Cem, 1993), pp.112–113.
22 S. Güler, Alevilig˘in Siyasal Örgütlenmesi: Modernleşme, Çözülme ve Türkiye Birlik Partisi [The Political Organization of the Alevism: Modernization, Dissolution and the Unity Party of Turkey] (Ankara: Dipnot, 2008), p.15.
23 G. Atılgan, Kemalizm ile Marksizm Arasında Geleneksel Aydınlar: Yön- Devrim Hareketi [The Traditional Intellectuals in between Kemalism and Marxism: The Movement of Direction-Revolution] (Istanbul: TÜSTAV, 2002), p.329.
24 A. Ünsal, Umuttan Yalnızlığa Türkiye İşçi Partisi (1961-1971) [From Hope to Loneliness: The Workers Party of Turkey (1961-1971)] (Istanbul: Tarih Vakfı Yurt Yayınları, 2002), p.23.
25 E. Massicard, Türkiye’den Avrupa’ya Alevi Hareketinin Siyasallaşması [The Alevis in Turkey and Europe] (Istanbul: İletişim, 2007), p.55; Necdet Saraç, Alevilerin Siyasi Tarihi (1300-1971) [The Political History of the Alevis (1300-1971)] (Istanbul: Cem, 2011), pp.346–356.
26 For detailed information for the political history the Unity Party (of Turkey), see. K. Ata, Alevilerin İlk Siyasal Denemesi: Türkiye Birlik Partisi (1966-1980) [The First Political Experiment of the Alevis: The Unity Party of Turkey (1966-1980)] (Ankara: Kelime Yayınları, 2007) and M. Ertan, ‘1970’ler Türkiye’sinde Alevi Siyasetinin Olanakları: Türkiye Birlik Partisi’ [The Possibilities of Alevi Politics in Turkey in the 1970s: The Unity Party of Turkey] in R. Funda Barbaros and Erik Jan Zürcher (eds), Modernizmin Yansımaları: 70’li Yıllarda Türkiye [The Reflections of Modernity: Turkey in the 70s] (Ankara: Efil Yayınevi, 2014), pp.311–342.
27 G. Atılgan, ‘Türkiye Sol Hareketinde Anti-Emperyalizm ve Bag˘ımsızlıkçılık (1920–1971)’ [‘Anti-Imperialism in the Turkish Left (1920-1971)’] in Murat Gültekingil (ed.), Modern Türkiye’de Siyasi Düşünce, vol.8: Sol [Political Thought in Modern Turkey, vol.8:the Left] (Istanbul: İletişim, 2007), p.681.
28 M. Okan, Türkiye’de Aleviler [The Alevis in Turkey] (Ankara: İmge, 2004), p.100.
29 R. Çamuroğlu, ‘Resmi İdeoloji ve Aleviler’ [‘Official Ideology and the Alevis’], Birikim, 105-106, (January-February 1998), p.114.
30 The lyrics were translated into English by Paul Koerbin. The English version of the lyrics was quoted from an internet site. For the translated text, see https://koerbin.wordpress.com/2010/08/12/pir-sultan-abdal-gelin-canlar-bir-olalim/
31 M. Küçük, ‘Türkiye’de Sol Düşünce ve Aleviler’ [‘Leftist Thought in Turkey and the Alevis’] in Murat Gültekingil (ed.), Modern Türkiye’de Siyasal Düşünce vol. 8: Sol (Istanbul: İletişim, 2007), pp.904–910.
32 A. Dubetsky, ‘Class and Community in Urban Turkey’ in C.A.O. Van Nieuwenhuijze (ed.), Commoners, Climbers and Notables (Leiden: Brill, 1977), pp.362–369.
33 Ş. Aslan, 1 Mayıs Mahallesi: 1980 Öncesi Toplumsal Mücadele ve Kent [The 1 May Neighbourhood: Social Struggles and City before 1980] (Istanbul: İletişim, 2004), pp.101–124.
34 Ş. Aslan and B. Şen, ‘Politik Kimliğin Temsil Edici Mekanları: Çayan Mahallesi’ [‘The Representative Spheres of Political Identity: The Çayan Neighbourhood’], Toplum ve Bilim, no.120 (2011), pp.113–123.
35 Ş.Aslan, ‘Bir Politik Mekan Olarak ‘Gül’ ve ‘Su’yun Mahallinde Toplumsal ve Kültürel Örüntülere Yolculuk’ [‘The Evaluation of Social and Cultural Patterns through the Gülsuyu Neighbourhood as a Political Sphere’], in Erdoğan Yıldız (ed.), Kendi Sesinden Gülsuyu-Gülensu [Gülsuyu-Gülensu from Its Own Voice] (Ankara: Notabene, 2013), pp.14–15.
36 M. Belli, Boşuna mı Çig˘nendik? [Did We Suffer in Vain?] (Istanbul: Belge, 1994), pp.579–580.
37 G. Zileli, Havariler [The Followers] (Istanbul: İletişim, 2003), pp.213–215.
38 T. Bora and K. Can, Devlet Ocak Dergah –12 Eylül’den 1990’lara Ülkücü Hareket [The Idealist Movement from the 12 September Military Coup to the 1990s] (Istanbul: İletişim, 1991), pp.52–53.
39 M. Çalık, MHP Hareketi–Kaynakları ve Gelişimi (1965-1980) [The Nationalist Movement Party – Resources and Development (1965-1980] (Ankara: Cedid Neşriyat, 1995), pp.131–149.
40 Ö. Laçiner, ‘Malatya Olayı – Türkiye’de Faşist Hareketin Yapısı ve Gelişimi’ [‘The Malatya Events – the Structure and Development of the Fascist Movement in Turkey’], Birikim, no 39 (1978), pp.15–16.
41 N. Şahhüseyünoğlu, Yakın Tarihimizde Kitlesel Katliamlar [The Massacres in Our Recent History] (Istanbul: Berfin, 2012), pp.15–73.
42 E. S. Webb, ‘Sectarian Violence, the Alevi Minority and the Left, Kahramanmaraş 1978’ in Paul J. White and Joost Jongerden (eds), Turkey’s Alevi Enigma (Leiden and Boston: Brill, 2003), p.224.
43 S. Eral, Çaldıran’dan Çorum’a Anadolu’da Alevi Katliamları [The Alevi Massacres in Anatolia from Çaldıran to Çorum] (Yalçın, 1993), pp.204–205.
44 G. Zileli, Havariler (Istanbul: İletişim, 2003), pp.210–211.
45 Devlet İstatistik Enstitüsü, 14 Ekim 1973 Milletvekili Seçim Sonuçları [The Results of General Elections, 14 October 1973] (Ankara: Devlet İstatistik Enstitüsü Yayınları, 1974) pp.6–7.
46 Devlet İstatistik Enstitüsü, 5 Haziran 1977 Milletvekili Genel ve Cumhuriyet Senatosu Üyeleri Üçtebir Yenileme Seçimi Sonuçları [The Results of General Elections, 5 June 1977] (Ankara: Devlet İstatistik Enstitüsü Yayınları, 1977).