Jenseits religiöser Eindeutigkeit: Ambige Glaubensvorstellungen in historischen Überlieferungen des Alevitentums

Translated title of the contribution: Beyond religious unambiguousness: Ambiguous religious beliefs in historical transmissions of Alevism

Cem Kara

    Publications: Contribution to journalArticlePeer Reviewed

    Abstract

    This paper addresses the question of ambiguous ideas in historically transmitted texts of Alevi provenance. The study focuses on the production of ambiguities and attempts to explore the motives and, in particular, the intentionality of ambiguities. For this purpose, the study draws on writings of the so-called Buyruk tradition and the poetry of the Safavid Shah Ismail I (1487-1524) - two sources that are considered constitutive for Alevis historically and today. As a case study, the paper discusses ideas on the central Alevi saint Imam Ali (600-661). In both types of sources, at least three clearly distinguishable and even conflicting perceptions of Ali emerge. In addition to differentiating the individual levels of how Ali is perceived, the study offers various approaches to explain the ambiguous beliefs. The focus is on the question of the intentionality of ambiguities - whether and what intentions the authors might have in implementing them. Among various approaches, the idea that the authors intended to address different recipients with different concepts is discussed in more detail.

    Translated title of the contributionBeyond religious unambiguousness: Ambiguous religious beliefs in historical transmissions of Alevism
    Original languageGerman
    Pages (from-to)279-299
    Number of pages21
    JournalZeitschrift für Religionswissenschaft (Z f R)
    Volume30
    Issue number2
    DOIs
    Publication statusPublished - 1 Oct 2022

    Austrian Fields of Science 2012

    • 603905 Islam
    • 603909 Religious studies

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