Path Guides Speak on Alevism
The Alevi Encyclopedia “1st Pirs–Anas Workshop” was held on May 10–11, 2025, at the Rıza Şehri Academy in Dortmund.
The faith leaders who carry Alevism’s oral tradition into the present—pirs, anas, and dedes—came together on May 10–11, 2025, at the Rıza Şehri Academy for the “Pirs–Anas Workshop.” The workshop was organized within the framework of the Alevi Encyclopedia project, which aims to document the historical continuity of the Alevi faith through both oral culture and digital tools. The participating pirs and anas conveyed in their own words the fundamental concepts, rituals, social values, and forms of collective memory of Alevi faith structures. These oral transmissions will be documented both in written format and through video recordings, and will be integrated into the digital encyclopedia platform.
Opening of the Workshop: The Intersection of Memory, Secret, and Resistance
Opening the workshop on behalf of the Rıza Şehri Academy, Demir Çelik emphasized that the event was not only a space for knowledge transmission but also a memory-based act of resistance against the erasing effects of capitalist modernity and nation-state encirclements. He stated: “We have completed the technical infrastructure of the Alevi Encyclopedia Digital Platform to inscribe the concepts, theories, and values of the Alevi faith into collective memory. Today, the knowledge and observations you, our pirs and anas, have carried forward through secrecy offer contributions of historical value to this work.”
This framework positioned the testimonies of the pirs and anas not merely as the transfer of information, but as part of an epistemic struggle and a field of social resistance. Listening to the ontology, ethics, and worldview of Alevism—shaped by its own inner dynamics and narrated by its spiritual leaders—was the key element that made this workshop unique.
Participation and Sessions
The workshop included representative pirs and anas from Alevi organizations across Europe, particularly from the Federation of Alevi Unions in Germany (AABF) and the Democratic Alevis Federation (FEDA). The two-day event was organized into four main sessions:
- Introduction to the Alevi Encyclopedia: Conducted by the editorial board, this session outlined the purpose, technical structure, and participation criteria of the project.
- Interpretation of Alevi Concepts: Pirs and anas explained how key elements of belief such as Haq/Heq, Hızır/Xızır, Ocak, Mürşit, Pir, Rayber, Cem, İkrar, Musahip, Kirve, and Ziyaret were expressed in the past and how they are updated today.
- The Role of Alevi Institutions Against Assimilation and Cultural Genocide: This session discussed how Alevi institutions should position themselves in response to state policies of suppression, transformation, and marginalization of Alevism.
- The Encyclopedia’s Role in Carrying Oral Culture: Pirs and anas shared their views on the digital encyclopedia’s ability to preserve and transform oral culture, offering concrete proposals.
Proposals: Faith Sphere and Encyclopedia Perspective
During the workshop, pirs and anas developed comprehensive proposals in two main areas: (1) Institutional and content-related transformations within the faith sphere and (2) Suggestions regarding the scope and methodology of the Alevi Encyclopedia.
1. Proposals for the Faith Sphere
- A Conference of Pirs and Anas should be organized, independently from Alevi organizations.
- Alevi organizations should seek unity of strength while preserving their uniqueness.
- A Council of Pirs should be established; this body could serve as a faith guidance structure positioned above all institutions.
- Rituals such as cem, musahiplik, kirvelik, and funeral ceremonies should be updated according to the needs of contemporary society.
- The relationship between women and society should be re-examined, and gender balance within faith strengthened.
- A process of social and spiritual enlightenment should be initiated against cultural genocide.
2. Proposals for the Alevi Encyclopedia
- It should provide a representation capacity in which every branch of Alevism can see itself.
- It should have a multi-identity and multilingual structure.
- It should include not only written material but also visual, auditory, and interactive resources.
- Content suitable for children up to the age of 14 should be developed.
- It should include Alevi pilgrimage sites, massacres, and demographic maps.
- Open data that can be integrated with artificial intelligence should be created.
- It should document relationships between ocaks, tribes, and talip communities.
- It should make visible the history of Alevis in science, art, literature, politics, and production.
- It should aim to establish relations with institutions such as UNESCO and the UN.
A Bridge Between Oral Memory and Digital Knowledge
One of the most distinctive aspects of the workshop was the direct recording of pirs and anas narrating the oral tradition of Alevism in front of the camera. These recordings will be transcribed and published on the digital platform, becoming permanent documents for future generations.
In this way, the participation of not only talips but also faith leaders as active subjects in the processes of written knowledge production emerged as one of the key distinctions of the Alevi Encyclopedia. This approach represents an important step in democratizing knowledge production and making indigenous epistemologies visible.
Between Collective Memory and Social Struggle
The Pirs–Anas Workshop can be seen not only as a faith transmission activity but also as a practice of collective memory and identity struggle. In this sense, the workshop became a concrete manifestation of the Alevi community’s capacity to confront historical traumas, resist assimilation, and produce its own knowledge.
Each testimony shared at the workshop carried not only personal experience but also the codes of a generation, a community, and a faith. In this regard, the Alevi Encyclopedia was once again emphasized as not only an academic resource but also a carrier of faith and memory.
Conclusion: Building the Future with the Wisdom of Path Guides
The Pirs–Anas Workshop, held on May 10–11, was a unique gathering with the living representatives of the Alevi faith. The event provided a strong foundation not only for preserving but also for reproducing, sharing, and transmitting the oral tradition to younger generations.
Through such gatherings, the Alevi Encyclopedia project continues to make indigenous knowledge systems visible in a digitalized world, co-author knowledge with its faith bearers, and envision a society that is not an object of history but its subject.
