The III Alevi Encyclopedia Symposium will take place in Dortmund on 9–11 October 2026. Bringing together around 30 invited academics and researchers from Türkiye and various Western European countries, the three-day symposium will review the encyclopedia’s first year of publication, facilitate collaborative work within thematic working groups, and shape its publication programme for the coming period.
Launched on 2 July 2025, the Alevi Encyclopedia has completed its first year, reaching 3.3 million page views and more than 4,000 unique visitors daily. An open-access, peer-reviewed platform publishing in Turkish, English and German, it brings together a broad readership worldwide, particularly in Türkiye and the Western European diaspora. By connecting academic research with social memory and the knowledge of cultural heritage bearers, it contributes to the development of Alevi studies and the preservation and intergenerational transmission of Alevi cultural heritage.
During this period, the encyclopedia has also strengthened its international institutional and bibliographic infrastructure. Registered under ISIL DE-4607, the International Standard Identifier for Libraries and Related Organisations, it is recognised within this system as a digital specialist archive and a memory archive for Alevi oral traditions. ISSN 3055-9928 provides its international serial publication identifier. With Crossref membership, the assignment of DOIs (Digital Object Identifiers) to individual encyclopedia entries is also being incorporated into its publishing infrastructure, strengthening the persistent identification, discoverability and traceability of its content in scholarly citation.
Through this multifaceted structure, the Alevi Encyclopedia combines the functions of an online museum, an oral cultural heritage archive, an archive of scholarly expertise and a digital academic publication. Its visibility within international institutional and publication registries supports the development of a lasting and accessible knowledge infrastructure for Alevi studies.
The symposium’s activities will be organised around eight thematic working groups:
- Arab Alevism
- History and Manuscripts of Alevism–Bektashism
- Dersim Alevism
- Diaspora and Migration
- Alevi Music and Deyiş Poetry
- Alevi Politics and Institutions
- Alevi Media
- Alevi Communities and Ocaks
Representatives of these working groups will form the editorial board for 2026–2028. Bringing together different areas of expertise and academic generations, this structure strengthens the encyclopedia’s democratic, participatory approach to collective knowledge production. Participants’ direct involvement in setting research agendas and publication priorities is one of the project’s distinguishing features.
The programme also includes an introduction to the Institute of Alevi Theology at the University of Hamburg; a presentation and forum on “Alevi Archive: Ethnohistory of Alevi Communities in Anatolia, 16th–20th Centuries”, a project based at the Saxon Academy of Sciences and Humanities in Leipzig; and a discussion with Dr Zeynep Oktay about her book “Yolcu Benem Menzil Benem: Tasavvuf ve Alevi-Bektaşi Edebiyatı İncelemeleri”. The final day will feature discussions on the Journal of Alevi Studies, newly launched under the institutional framework of the University of Hamburg, and the Biennial Alevism Studies Conference held at the University of Westminster.
All interested participants are welcome to attend the public sessions. We particularly invite members living in Dortmund and the surrounding area to join us.
The only requirement for active participation in the working groups is involvement in academia, whether at undergraduate, master’s, doctoral, postdoctoral or other academic levels. Those wishing to attend are kindly asked to notify [email protected] in advance.
Dates: 9–11 October 2026
Location: DAKME – Alevitisches Kulturzentrum in Dortmund und Umgebung e.V. (Körnebachstraße 49–51, 44143, Dortmund, Almanya)
Opening: Friday, 9 October, at 18:00
Programme languages: Turkish and English, with German also used in some sessions
Please find the detailed programme attached. We look forward to welcoming you to Dortmund to contribute together to Alevi studies and the future of Alevi cultural heritage.
