Duskunluk and musahiplik as a social control means in Alevism: The case study of Malatya

Alevism, which includes a large community in Turkey, is a unique form in terms of religious, historical, cultural, social and literary sides. Alevism, which is a closed society, creates its control mechanisms institutionally in the course of time. Musahiplik and duskunluk institutions are so important that they support and keep alive the Alevism which is centuries old. Musahiplik, which exists the right of brotherhood beyond kindredship, is a very old institution. In the same way, duskunluk is an interior law system for Alevis. When we take these institutions into consideration together, it shows us that they ensure social control in the community. These institutions provide social unity and public order. In our study based on literature review and field study, Alevism, duskunluk and musahiplik have been evaluated in terms of social control and urbanization. It has been investigated how these institutions function in Malatya. Observations and interviews have been decided as method of the study. Interviews have been recorded for analyzing later. Our study aims to reveal the importance of duskunluk and musahiplik in Alevism. According to the data in the field study, functionalities of duskunluk and musahiplik have decreased with regard to past under the influence of urbanization process. Social control, Alevism, duskunluk, musahiplik, urbanization and Alevism in urbanization process are main headings of our thesis. Key Words: Alevism, Duskunluk, Musahiplik, Social Control, Urbanization