The Ocak System and the External Experience of Alevism

In this video, Ana Narin Gülçiçeği evaluates the structure and functions of the Ocak system both within Alevi communities and in the diaspora, with particular reference to the experience of Alevism in Germany. She examines how the Ocak system, one of the constitutive elements of the Alevi belief, is reinterpreted under diasporic conditions and how this transformation is reflected in collective memory. In addition, by addressing observations and approaches from outside—namely “from the perspective of Germans”—she offers striking reflections on the perception of the Alevi belief in Europe.

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