Woman perceptive in Alevi-Bektashi culture among traditional religious groups (Malatya as an example)

The formation of women perceptive in the Alevi-Bektashi belief and culture, which is one of the traditional religious groups, goes back to the old Turkish belief and culture. Women acting together with their spouses in every field of religious and daily life in the old Turkish society, women participating in religious meetings together with men during Hoca Ahmet Yesevi period, presence of personalities such as "Kadincik Ana" in Bektashi belief, cherishing women just for being a humankind without taking gender discrimination into account construct the foundation of the importance attached to women in this belief. Some researchers working on the area of women perceptive in the Alevi-Bektashi belief and culture suggest that women are naturally cherished because of the importance attached to humankind in this belief and culture. While others mention that spiritually mature women are attached special value, women are also respected since they are perceived as representatives of Hz. Fatma. Some writers suggest that giving a special status to women in this society roots back to old Turkish beliefs and culture. The ones who approach the topic of woman in comparison to Sunni Islam provide some comments based on the Holy Qur'an and Hadith. In recent years, especially in some studies conducted by women researchers, it is stated that the understanding of women expressed in discourse is different from the practice. According to these researchers, the structure of Turkish patriarchal society continues unchanged in Alevi-Bektashi belief and culture. The understanding of women in Alevi-Bektashi belief in central Malatya is tried to be presented through interviews with prominent people of the society such as Dede, Ana, Baci, as well as ordinary Alevi women and men, and also through observations at various times and places. In order to better express the subject, we included the conceptual and historical framework in the first section, the position of women in the family and social life in the second section, and the interviews, observations and evaluations we conducted in central Malatya in the third section. Key Words: Alevism, Bektashi Belief, Woman, Woman In Alevism