Ottoman Policy of Kızılbash/Alevi during the Reign of Abdülhamid II (1876-1909)

Kizilbash/Alevi communities in Anatolia caught the attention of the Ottoman Empire during the reign of Abdülhamid II after a long time. Anxiety over issues of security of the empire, centralization, the politics of Islamic unity of Sultan Abdülhamid II and the relations of Kizilbash/Alevi communities with the Armenian and Western missionaries played a significant role in this development. In addition, Kizilbash/Alevi communities became a current issue of the empire due to their central role both in domestic issues and regional dynamics. Consequently, these developments led the empire to certain mandatory implementations against Kizilbash/Alevi communities. The most efficient method Abdülhamid II resorted to out of these implementations was the politics of enforced rectification of the beliefs (tashîh-i akâid) of the community members. The primary aim of this dissertation is to analyze the dynamics which brought up Kizilbash/Alevi communities to the agenda during the reign of Abdülhamid II. In relation to this aim, Abdülhamid II's Kizilbash/Alevi politics in the history of the Ottoman Empire is aimed to be discussed within the context of continuity and disengagements. Another aim of this dissertation is to deal with the place of the empire's approach towards Kizilbash/Alevism throughout the period within the context of the Non-Sunni politics from a comparative perspective. Furthermore, the representations of Kizilbash/Alevi communities by the Western missonaries, travellers, researchers and officers are to be illustrated.