Research Article

Accommodating Modernity and Sufism: Transformation of the Sheikh-Dervish Relationship in Contemporary Turkey

Volume: 29 Number: 57 December 31, 2024
TR EN

Accommodating Modernity and Sufism: Transformation of the Sheikh-Dervish Relationship in Contemporary Turkey

Abstract

Sufi orders, established in the 12th century, are mystical brotherhoods in Islam focused on cultivating the “mature self”. A fundamental element of these orders is the relationship between the sheikh (master) and the dervish (disciple), as spiritual progress in Sufism is considered unattainable without the guidance of a spiritual mentor. This paper explores how the sheikh-dervish relationship is experienced in contemporary Turkey. Drawing on data from in-depth interviews with thirty members from three Sufi groups (the İskenderpaşa and Erenköy branches of the Naqshbandi order and the Mevlevi order), the study addresses the following questions: (1) How do individuals establish and maintain relations with their sheikhs? (2) What traditional and new methods are used to sustain these relationships? (3) How do they legitimize and relate their sheikh-dervish relationships to tradition? (4) What ideal sheikh-disciple relationship do they envision? Using a comparative and historical approach, along with descriptive analysis and partial discourse analysis, the research reveals key strategies within the sheikh-disciple relationship: (1) prioritizing face-to-face interactions, (2) maintaining communication with elders through texts, (3) emphasizing the bond or spiritual union, (4) utilizing modern communication tools such as radio, streaming, television, and books, and (5) incorporating family relations. The paper highlights how modernity and political processes have influenced and diversified the sheikh-dervish relationship, offering an empirical contribution to contemporary studies of Sufism in Turkey.

Keywords

Ethical Statement

Devam eden doktora tezimden üretilmiştir. Tezimin saha çalışmasının Marmara Üniversitesi'nden etik kurul onayı mevcuttur.

References

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  2. Arjana, Sophia Rose. Buying Buddha, selling Rumi: Orientalism and the mystical marketplace. Oneworld Academic, 2020.
  3. Aşkar, Mustafa. “Bir Türk Tarikatı Olarak Halvetiyye’nin Tarihî Gelişimi ve Halvetiyye Silsilesinin Tahlili.” Ankara Üniversitesi İlahiyat Fakültesi Dergisi 39, no. 1 (1999): 535-564.
  4. Aytepe, Mahsum. “Doğuşundan günümüze İslamcılığın Türkiye seyri: Bir sınıflandırma denemesi.” Anemon Muş Alparslan Üniversitesi Sosyal Bilimler Dergisi 4, no. 1 (2016): 169-199.
  5. Büyükkara, Mehmet Ali. Çağdaş İslami Akımlar. İstanbul: Klasik Yayınları, 2015.
  6. Can, Şefik. Mesnevi Tercümesi. İstanbul: Ötüken Yayınları, 2003.
  7. Casanova, José. Public religions in the modern world. University of Chicago Press, 2011.
  8. Cebecioğlu, Ethem. Tasavvuf Terimleri ve Deyimleri Sözlüğü. İstanbul: Anka Yayınları, 2005.

Details

Primary Language

English

Subjects

Sociology of Religion

Journal Section

Research Article

Publication Date

December 31, 2024

Submission Date

March 28, 2024

Acceptance Date

December 23, 2024

Published in Issue

Year 2024 Volume: 29 Number: 57

APA
Sağlam Sarıkaya, B. (2024). Accommodating Modernity and Sufism: Transformation of the Sheikh-Dervish Relationship in Contemporary Turkey. Dîvân Disiplinlerarası Çalışmalar Dergisi, 29(57), 113-149. https://doi.org/10.20519/divan.1460557
AMA
1.Sağlam Sarıkaya B. Accommodating Modernity and Sufism: Transformation of the Sheikh-Dervish Relationship in Contemporary Turkey. Dîvân Disiplinlerarası Çalışmalar Dergisi. 2024;29(57):113-149. doi:10.20519/divan.1460557
Chicago
Sağlam Sarıkaya, Burcu. 2024. “Accommodating Modernity and Sufism: Transformation of the Sheikh-Dervish Relationship in Contemporary Turkey”. Dîvân Disiplinlerarası Çalışmalar Dergisi 29 (57): 113-49. https://doi.org/10.20519/divan.1460557.
EndNote
Sağlam Sarıkaya B (December 1, 2024) Accommodating Modernity and Sufism: Transformation of the Sheikh-Dervish Relationship in Contemporary Turkey. Dîvân Disiplinlerarası Çalışmalar Dergisi 29 57 113–149.
IEEE
[1]B. Sağlam Sarıkaya, “Accommodating Modernity and Sufism: Transformation of the Sheikh-Dervish Relationship in Contemporary Turkey”, Dîvân Disiplinlerarası Çalışmalar Dergisi, vol. 29, no. 57, pp. 113–149, Dec. 2024, doi: 10.20519/divan.1460557.
ISNAD
Sağlam Sarıkaya, Burcu. “Accommodating Modernity and Sufism: Transformation of the Sheikh-Dervish Relationship in Contemporary Turkey”. Dîvân Disiplinlerarası Çalışmalar Dergisi 29/57 (December 1, 2024): 113-149. https://doi.org/10.20519/divan.1460557.
JAMA
1.Sağlam Sarıkaya B. Accommodating Modernity and Sufism: Transformation of the Sheikh-Dervish Relationship in Contemporary Turkey. Dîvân Disiplinlerarası Çalışmalar Dergisi. 2024;29:113–149.
MLA
Sağlam Sarıkaya, Burcu. “Accommodating Modernity and Sufism: Transformation of the Sheikh-Dervish Relationship in Contemporary Turkey”. Dîvân Disiplinlerarası Çalışmalar Dergisi, vol. 29, no. 57, Dec. 2024, pp. 113-49, doi:10.20519/divan.1460557.
Vancouver
1.Burcu Sağlam Sarıkaya. Accommodating Modernity and Sufism: Transformation of the Sheikh-Dervish Relationship in Contemporary Turkey. Dîvân Disiplinlerarası Çalışmalar Dergisi. 2024 Dec. 1;29(57):113-49. doi:10.20519/divan.1460557

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