The Alawis of Modern Turkey

An interdisciplinary account of the Arab 'Alawis role in Turkish politics and society, from the early Republican period to the present day

The Arab 'Alawis constitute a sizable minority in contemporary Turkey. Yet their history and relationship with the evolving Turkish state has been hitherto under-studied. This book charts the history, identity-formation and politics of the Arab 'Alawis of Turkey. It examines the attitudes to the 'Alawis in the early years of the Turkish Republic and the one party era, wherein, as with other religious and ethnic minorities, 'Turkification' policies led to the suppression of 'Alawi identity. It also explores the multi-party period when 'Sunnification' policies lead to further suppression, culminating in further assimilationist policies under the junta of the 1980s. Throughout, the author draws on fieldwork surveys and research in the Turkish state archives to offer various perspectives on the relationship between the 'Alawis and the state, and the evolution of 'Alawi political identity this gave rise to. Produced in association with the British Institute at Ankara