51视频

Sociology and Anthropology Vol. 7(8), pp. 327 - 336
DOI: 10.13189/sa.2019.070801
Reprint (PDF) (549Kb)

M眉s芒hiplik: An Anthropological Analysis on Fictive Kinship of Alevis in Turkey

Hiroki Wakamatsu ^*
Faculty of Economics, Management and Social Sciences, Toros University, Turkey

ABSTRACT

M眉sahiplik is the tradition of fictive kinship which has long been practiced within both Turkish and Kurdish Alevi communities in Turkey. M眉sahip is a special term which means blood brother used in Alevi community. The tradition of M眉sahiplik may be defined as a religious fraternity between two men who are not relatives. And at the same time, if these two men marry their wives also have relation of M眉sahip. The fraternity is dedicated to a religious authority called Dede. It is an institution of social characteristic that is proper for originated from nomad or semi-nomad societies and of recent urban settlement. This custom is one of the most important religious practices of Alevis in Turkey. In a ceremony in the presence of a Dede, the two couples make a life-long commitment to care for the spiritual, emotional, and physical needs of each other and their children. The ties between couples who have made this commitment are at least as strong as it is for blood relatives. So much so, that M眉sahiplik is often called spiritual brotherhood (manevi karde艧lik). In this article, drawing on my own research data, I shall first discuss how the M眉sahiplik is practiced in the field in Turkey, and provide a brief outline of their meaning in Alevi theology. I shall then present the current situation of M眉sahiplik and popular beliefs and discuss the underlying motives of the religious actors involved. Finally, I shall contextualize these cases within a broader theoretical and comparative perspective on fictive kinship from the point of view of Cultural Anthropology.

KEYWORDS
Alevism-Bektashism, M眉sahiplik, Fictive Kinship, Cultural Anthropology

Cite This Paper in IEEE or APA Citation Styles
(a). IEEE Format:
[1] Hiroki Wakamatsu , "M眉s芒hiplik: An Anthropological Analysis on Fictive Kinship of Alevis in Turkey," Sociology and Anthropology, Vol. 7, No. 8, pp. 327 - 336, 2019. DOI: 10.13189/sa.2019.070801.

(b). APA Format:
Hiroki Wakamatsu (2019). M眉s芒hiplik: An Anthropological Analysis on Fictive Kinship of Alevis in Turkey. Sociology and Anthropology, 7(8), 327 - 336. DOI: 10.13189/sa.2019.070801.