The Alevis: religious, ethnic or political minority?

Abstract

The Republic of Turkey was born on 29 October 1923 as the final outcome of a very troubled historical process. The Muslims of Anatolia and Eastern Thrace had faced the risk of disintegration and submission. The father and leader of the “new Turkey”, Mustafa Kemal, felt the plurality that had characterized the Ottoman world as a source of weakness and danger. In these nearly 100 years Republican Turkey has scored many admirable accomplishments, but her genesis left a permanent imprint in the political and social development of the country. Thus, the Turkish State has perpetuated a suspicious and repressive attitude towards the particular identities. This book, stemmed from a conference held in November 2021, presents two introductive papers and six specific contributions where the issues of education and public discourse are among the main topics.