Alevism Lessons in British Schools: Inclusion through Religious Education
This entry demonstrates the importance of education as a space for inclusive strategies to integrate minoritised and excluded communities like Alevis and give them a...
From ‘Sort of Muslim’ to ‘Proud to be Alevi’: The Alevi Religion and Identity Project in UK Schools
This lecture examines how the Alevi community in the UK has addressed the youth identity crisis, suicide and marginalisation by collaborating with schools to introduce Alevism lessons in their religious...
Dr. Celia Jenkins
Dr Celia Jenkins is an Emeritus Fellow in Sociology at the School of Social Sciences, University of Westminster. She studied sociology of education at the University of London, Institute of Education. Her research interests include education, religion, Alevism, and identity, and she collaborates with Umit Cetin and the UK Alevi community to address issues related to youth, visibility, and Alevism lessons. She pioneered Alevism lessons with the British Alevi Federation to introduce them into the core RE curriculum in UK schools, promoting Alevi students' sense of their religion and belonging and raising awareness about Alevism as a religion like any other. She co-produced the first special issues of National Identities and Kurdish Studies, with neither journal having previously published any articles on Alevi issues.
She coorganised the First Biennial International Conference of Alevism Studies in 2023 and 2025 and will host the third in 2027, a unique space for informed discussion of Alevi issues with Alevi academics, students and community members. Jenkins and Cetin’s most recent publications reflect their decolonial stance to coproduce and exchange knowledge about Alevism with and for the transnational Alevi community. She is an active member of the Scientific Board for the digital Alevi Encyclopaedia and continues to research, publish and consult on Alevi youth, identity and religion.
She coorganised the First Biennial International Conference of Alevism Studies in 2023 and 2025 and will host the third in 2027, a unique space for informed discussion of Alevi issues with Alevi academics, students and community members. Jenkins and Cetin’s most recent publications reflect their decolonial stance to coproduce and exchange knowledge about Alevism with and for the transnational Alevi community. She is an active member of the Scientific Board for the digital Alevi Encyclopaedia and continues to research, publish and consult on Alevi youth, identity and religion.
