The Unbearable Political Attraction of Defining Alevilik

Nowadays, political government confronts the equal citizenship rights demands raised by Alevis which organized through Alevi identity in the last two decades by demanding a ‘reasonable’ political reconstruction of Alevilik. In this sense, there is an evident “Alevi question” for Turkish government. On the other hand, the erosion and loss of function caused by modernization process, enlarged the gap between Alevilik and Alevis, and reduced Alevilik to an external experience especially for young generations. The gap in question forces Alevis to reinvent and rebuild their traditions. The conjunctural overlap between this enforcement and Alevi question of government brings with it the risk of a reconstruction of Alevilik in accordance with government policies. This paper argues that the elimination of this risk is possible only through a correct understanding of the conception of history and universe in Alevilik, and by translating political demands to the language of this conception. The focus of this article will be on explaining the understanding of time and sacredness which shape the conception in question, and highlighting the opposition between this conception of history and universe on one side, and the conception adopted by state and transcendental religions on the other.