Institutional Alevism (Alevi Organization, Institutionalization, and Politics)

In this video, the ways in which processes of institutionalization in Alevi belief intersect with social change are examined. Efforts to standardize cem and hakka uğurlama rites are shown to lead to a homogenization that threatens the plural structure of the belief. Against this tendency, the metaphor of “not a rose garden but a flower garden” is used to defend the historical diversity of Alevism. The video opens a discussion on the tension between tradition and transformation within the context of social change.

This recording was made on 10–11 May 2025 at the Dortmund Alevi Cultural Center (DAKME), within the Rıza Şehri Academy, as part of the Pirler–Analar Workshop organized for the Alevi Encyclopedia project.