01/07/2026 17:20 - 18:20

HALL: Parenzo - A15

Contact: Çiçek H.

Chair: Fuad Hussain S.

This panel explores how Alevi communities from Turkey have redefined their religious identity and navigated structures of (in)equality in the diaspora contexts of Germany and Austria. Migration opened not only new socio-economic spaces but also initiated a process of religious and political self-empowerment, allowing Alevi actors to articulate their faith more freely within pluralist societies. The panel examines the multi-phased institutionalization of Alevism, from informal gatherings to formalized religious communities engaged in education, welfare, and political representation.


Special attention will be given to the ambivalent relationship of Alevi diasporas to both their country of origin and their host societies: While Turkish state institutions have continued to exert regulatory control over diasporic communities, Germany and Austria have provided new opportunities for institutional recognition. Nevertheless, Alevis still struggle against persistent external categorizations that frame them as a heterodox Islamic sect, undermining their claim to religious autonomy. Drawing on historical analogies and contemporary developments, the panel analyzes how second and third generation Alevi actors serve as key agents of transformation, negotiating visibility, recognition, and self-definition within diasporic and transnational fields.