The Amalgamation of Two Religious Cultures

This chapter traces the emergence of the term “Alevi-Bektashi” as a widely used category in Turkish state discourse, academic literature, and among Alevi and Bektashi communities. While Kizilbash-Alevism and Bektashism shared elements of belief and practice, they nevertheless remained distinct religious institutions until the late 19th century. This chapter explores the socio-cultural, discursive, and conceptual amalgamation of both groups in the late 19 th and early 20th centuries, culminating in the formation of “Alevi-Bektashism”. Emphasising the entanglement of nationalism and confessionalisation, it examines reciprocal dynamics between state actors and religious agents, as well as processes of internal and external attribution that shaped this new religious category.