Religion in Electoral Autocracy: The Case Alevi Bektashi Culture and Cemevi Directorate of Turkey

Abstract

Democratization in Turkey has never been a straightforward process. Turkey, like other democratic societies, relies on unwritten social contracts, including the Turkishness and Muslimness Contracts. While democratization efforts began during the Ottoman period, the idea of equality failed to unify Ottoman society. In the empire’s final years, policies of forced deportation, genocide, and assimilation – prioritizing Sunni Hanafi Islam and Turkishness – were implemented to preserve the state. Assimilation efforts intensified during undemocratic periods, such as the 1980–1987 Military Dictatorship and the ongoing electoral autocracy since 2010. This paper examines recent government policies toward Alevis. Erdogan’s regime has extended the Muslimness and Turkishness Contracts and applied assimilation policies targeting Alevis (and Kurds). Early in the electoral autocracy period, assimilation began with degrading Cemevis, Alevi prayer houses, to dhikr rooms and launching Mosque-Cemevi projects. The Presidency of Religious Affairs became a political tool, and in 2022, a law redefined Alevism as a culture, not a religion, reflecting authoritarian populism’s influence over religious definitions.