The School of Alevism
The School of Alevism
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I am a scriptwriter, presenter and board member of the School of Alevism YouTube channel. The project was created to produce educational videos in English relating to the various aspects of Alevis and Alevism.
What is Alevism?
Alevi is an ethnoreligious identity of a group of people living or from the areas of Anatolia and Kurdistan (modern-day Turkey), and their associated beliefs are referred to as Alevism. In their religious beliefs, Alevis differ from the surrounding monotheistic religions of the Middle East by adopting a philosophically mysticist approach to religion and culture expressed predominantly in rituals revolving around music and the instrument known as the Baglama and its variations. Having been silenced for most of their history, Alevis today, especially those in the diaspora, are finding new voices in new languages, with English at the forefront of this expression.
Central facets of Alevism are (1) its metaphysical view of the world, humanity and the universe as eternally changing and loosely pantheistic (2) its belief in the sanctity of nature and sites of pilgrimage located in nature referred to as Jiyare (Ziyaret in Turkish) (3) the use of music in the form of a stringed family of instruments known as the Saz/Baglama for the expression of the culture and faith (4) a strong cultural and political emphasis on sustainable communal life in strict opposition to dogmatic practices.
Some example videos
For a soft introduction into Alevism
For a soft introduction into Alevism
On the 1993 Sivas Massacre
On the 1993 Sivas Massacre
Analysis of a poem by Edip Harabi
Analysis of a poem by Edip Harabi
The Alevi Studies Network:
I am also involved in the Alevi studies network. The Alevi Studies Network is a transnational network to bring together academics who focus on Alevi Studies a field of study that has over the past 20 years established itself as a research area for historians, sociologists and anthropologists, among other disciplines. See the below links for details of upcoming and past events on Alevi studies at institutes across the globe.
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