Synopses & Reviews
Contributing significantly to debates over the role of Islam in the modern world, this book argues that there is nothing inherently secular-proof within that faith, but that secularism depends on a range of circumstances relating to the wider social and religious context. Further, it suggests that there is no absolute incompatibility with a predominantly Christian Europe. Since Islam, at least among the Alevi communities, may become quietist and secular, the possibility is raised that this could happen in other Islamic groups.
Synopsis
Includes bibliographical references (p. 225-236) and index.
Synopsis
This is the only volume dedicated to the Alevis available in English and based on sustained fieldwork in Turkey. The Alevis now have an increasingly high profile for those interested in the diverse cultures of contemporary Turkey, and in the role of Islam in the modern world. As a heterodox Islamic group, the Alevis have no established doctrine. This book reveals that as the Alevi move from rural to urban sites, they grow increasingly secular, and their religious life becomes more a guiding moral culture than a religious message to be followed literally. But the study shows that there is nothing inherently secular-proof within Islam, and that belief depends upon a range of contexts.
About the Author
David Shankland lectures in the department of social anthropology at the University of Wales, Lampeter. He is the former assistant director of the British Institute of Archaeology at Ankara, Turkey, and is the author of Islam and Society in Turkey.