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Constructing Histories of Violence against Alevis: Memory of Persecution versus Provocation Narratives
Abstract
This paper examines the rewriting of the history of violence against Alevis within the Turkish nation-state's tenure, focusing on the emergence of a "provocation narrative." Drawing from archival research spanning 1930 to 1990, including Cumhuriyet, Milliyet, Tercüman newspapers, and Turkish Grand National Assembly Minute Periodicals, I argue that Turkish secularization has significantly shaped the narrative of discrimination against Alevis through the provocation lens. This narrative attributes violence against Alevis, such as massacres, to malicious provocateurs aiming to sow division between Alevis and Sunnis, diverting attention from state policies promoting Sunni hegemony. By emphasizing equality between Alevis and Sunnis, the provocation narrative serves to downplay disparities resulting from the state's Sunni-dominant nature, presenting a society characterized by fellowship or equality disrupted by specific provocateurs.
Discipline
Anthropology
Geographic Area
Turkey
Sub Area
None