Kurdish secularization: Religious change in Diyarbakır in the context of generational differentiation

The Kurdish leftist/socialist thought, which has been developing since 1960s, has been able to establish a hegemony over a important part of Kurdish society step by step expanding its social influence as of 1990s. In consequence of political/ideological effects of Kurdish left, which carries its movement legally (political, social and cultural) and illegally (PKK), many young people are still getting involved in the secular center of ethnic leftist/socialist ideology attraction and are experiencing a swift change in approaches to tradition and religion in regard of previous generations. This research focuses on Kurdish lefts' impact on generations, which is one of the important factors accelarating secularization process taking place in Diyarbakır. The aim of this research is to try to establish what kind of change dominant ethnic leftist/socialist dynamics in Diyarbakır caused on young generation and to understand the differences between young generation and the previous ones. This research in which generation comparison is employed, as a methodological tool, is conducted by using "grounded theory" and "biography" method together. The research is based on the data acquired from field research carried put in june-july-august, 2018 and july, 2019 in Diyarbakır. In the research, extensive face to face interviews based on semi-structured interview form were conducted with 102 participants, 36 of whom are young parents, 14 are single and 3 are focus discussions. Field data is evaluated within inductive process which aims, by force of grounded theory, to start with coding and then to reach more abstract and theoric finding and comparing continously. Findings discovered by this way enabled to reach theoric abstractions concerning secularization occured among Kurdish generations. According to the findings, this type of ethnic leftist/socialist secularization in character and based on politic/ideologic reasons is in a different quality from Western capitalist secularization argument. Ethnic leftist/socialist secularization process exerting influence on generations leads up to "radical" secularization and differentiation on attitude, value and belief. According to the findings obtained from the research, in contrast to their parents, young people go through substantial distinction about viewing religion/tradition, performing worship, following manners and customs and in practices such as flirting, marriage and divorcement and gender approach.