Individualization of religiosity in Turkey from the Tanzimat to the present

Modernization, which takes its foundation from the Renaissance, Reform and Enlightenment thought and contributes to the formation of a new culture and consciousness with its unique values, has played an important role in the dissolution of the traditional social structure and the construction of a new understanding of society. This change in social life has also affected religion, which is in close relationship with tradition; It has led to differences in the way individuals understand and interpret religion. This situation, which is expressed as individualization, has allowed the emergence of different types of religiosity with modernization tools such as rationalization, secularism, secularization, urbanization and liberalization that strengthen individuality. Today, it is seen that individuals who adopt modern values in Turkey care about acting independently in their religious lives, reject the "guiding" attitude of the traditional understanding of Islam, and try to re-understand and interpret the religion of Islam within the framework of modern values. Therefore, this study aims to address the religion-individual relationship in the context of modernization and to reveal the changing perception of religiosity from the Tanzimat to the present. In this respect, the scope of the study is limited to the effects of the reforms carried out in the fields of politics, education, law, society and economy from the Tanzimat to the present, on the way individuals understand and interpret the religion of Islam, taking into account Turkey's modernization experience. In addition, the document analysis method, one of the qualitative research methods, is used in the study. It can be said that the individualistic understanding of modern culture also has a place in societies aiming to modernize. When this happens through the state or the elite class, "individualization", as it has an external effect; It is expressed as "individualization" because it has an internal effect when it happens with the will of individuals. As a result, it is seen that both situations affect the way individuals understand and interpret the religion of Islam and reveal individual religiosity types that seek a modern interpretation of the religion of Islam, different from its traditional understanding.