Introduction – Beyond State Islam: Religiosity and Spirituality in Contemporary Turkey

Abstract

Turkey has always had a vivid and rich religious and spiritual life.Nevertheless, academic research on non-mainstream or extracanonical religiosity remains restricted to a minimum both inside and outside Turkey.Likewise, religious and cultural activities, communities and production that criss-cross categorical borders between the secular and the religious, East and West, or national culture(s) and universal religion(s) fail to attract the attention of researchers despite the amplitude of this research area.Thus, the articles gathered under the heading Contemporary Sufism and the Quest for Spirituality.Transgressing Borders, Transgressing Categories in this issue of the European Journal of Turkish Studies aim at highlighting some of the relevant topics such as transnational Sufi communities in Turkey and its diaspora, and the growing quest of many people for spiritual answers as it is reflected in Turkish novels.This introductory article provides an overview of the religio-political background throughout the history of the Turkish Republic in order to reflect the particular circumstances in Turkey and its diaspora, to connect these national particularities to global trends, and to point to some relevant topics which are not covered by these articles.The Religious Landscape of Turkey 2 The geographic exposure of Asia Minor has not only influenced the art, literature, politics and lifestyles of the Ottoman Empire and Turkey, but also the particular nature of their religious landscape.Turkey's religious pluralism and diversity comprise "Intra-Islam" pluralism (Introvigne 2005: 6) as well as historic and (post-)modern non-Muslim currents.Intra-Islam pluralism covers all shades of Islam, from state-controlled Islam and Islamic mysticism (tasavvuf) to minorities located both inside and outside the Muslim community-depending on the perspective-such as Alevis 1 , Sabbateans 2 or Introduction -Beyond State Islam: Religiosity and Spirituality in Contempora...

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