The i̇mpact of urbanization on Alevi culture and values

In the last hundred and fifty years, both Western societies and non-western societies have experienced a rapid change. The innovations that are effective in the structural and functional changes of society are the developments in urbanization, industrialization, science and technology. The phenomenon of urbanization plays an important role in the change of population and social groups with the increase in population and the increase in the division of labor between people. Modernization process of urbanization in Turkey as a country that quickly covers the last sixty years. This rapid urbanization process was followed by migrations from the east to the west and from the villages to the cities. Alevis, of course, are one of these migrants. Alevism institutions, which have the function of determining social order in rural areas, started to leave their place to modern legal institutions together with urbanization. The social, cultural and economic status of the people in the countryside and the weakening of them in urban areas have turned into almost exclusively religious institutions In this modernization process, the place and functions of the religious institution in the social structure inevitably change. This structure and functions can have different effects on different social groups depending on social and economic factors. In our study, as one of the groups affected by the result of rapid urbanization, Alevis' cultural and social changes are examined sociologically. This study particularly intense as they emigrated to Turkey's Alevis largest city of the social and cultural changes of the participants from different age groups living in Istanbul were examined. Such developments and sociological process are tried to be put forward. The scope of our research consists of Mustafa Kemal Neighborhood, where Alevis live intensively in Istanbul. In our study, interview / interview technique was used with qualitative research method. Data were obtained by interviewing fifteen participants from the field. When the data obtained were interpreted, changes in the main religious-social institutions of Alevism were determined. Dedelık, the most fundamental institution of Alevism, has partially preserved its religious authority and has largely lost its social authority. However, the role of indulgence and priesthood institutions that play a very important role in the village life has been found to decrease in the cities.