Cover; The Alevis in Turkey and Europe; Copyright; Contents; Acknowledgements; List of acronyms and abbreviations; Map: Main cities mentioned in the book; Introduction; 1. Complex historical trajectories; Part I: A polymorphous and divided; 2. The emergence of the Alevist movement; 3. A conflictual and fragmented movement; 4. Conflicts over meaning; 5. The role played by third parties; Part II: Difficulties in entrenching the movement in Turkey; 6. The emergence and limits of identity politics in Turkey; 7. Insurmountable difficulties in integrating the religious
8. Difficulties in establishing a political footing9. Culture as an outlet; 10. How modes of action have evolved over time; Part III: The localisation of identity; 11. Local identity dynamics; 12. Alevism in Europe; Conclusion; Glossary; Notes; Bibliography; Index
Summary
This book examines the development of identity politics amongst the Alevis in Europe and Turkey, which simultaneously provided the movement access to different resources and challenged its unity of action. While some argue that Aleviness is a religious phenomenon, and others claim it is a cultural or a political trend, this book analyzes the various strategies of claim-making and reconstructions of Aleviness as well as responses to the movement by various Turkish and German actors. Drawing on intensive fieldwork, Elise Massicard suggests that because of activists' many different definitions of
