Review of Religious Revival and Secularism in Post-Soviet Azerbaijan by Dobrosława Wiktor-Mach

Year 2023, Volume: 8 Issue: 14, 157 - 164, 31.05.2023

Eva Lennartz

Abstract

This book review considers Wiktor-Mach’s Religious Revival and Secularism in Post-Soviet Azerbaijan. The author provides an excellent example of how religious revival developed in a post-Soviet country, i.e., Azerbaijan, through interviewing religious actors and individuals. She embeds her analysis in a historical perspective on Islam in Azerbaijan, which makes it clearer why there is a division between pious and ethnic Muslims and why the differences between Shia and Sunni interpretations of Islam ceased to be important. Wiktor-Mach predicts that Sunni Islam in its Turkish variant will gain strength, while Shiism is not giving up. Wiktor-Mach focuses on Baku, and thus, her work can be counted among Islamic urban studies. Further studies would be welcome which analyse the development of Islam in the regions of Azerbaijan.

Keywords

Azerbaijan, Baku, Islam, religion, revivalism

Review of Religious Revival and Secularism in Post-Soviet Azerbaijan by Dobrosława Wiktor-Mach [Dobrosława Wiktor-Mach'ın Sovyet Sonrası Azerbaycan'da Dini Uyanış ve Laiklik Üzerine İncelemesi]

Abstract

Bu kitap incelemesi, Wiktor-Mach'ın Sovyet Sonrası Azerbaycan'da Dini Uyanış ve Laiklik'i ele alıyor. Yazar, Sovyet sonrası bir ülkede, yani Azerbaycan'da dini dirilişin nasıl geliştiğine dini aktörler ve bireylerle röportajlar yaparak mükemmel bir örnek sunuyor. Analizini, dindar ve etnik Müslümanlar arasında neden bir ayrım olduğunu ve İslam'ın Şii ve Sünni yorumları arasındaki farklılıkların neden önemini yitirdiğini netleştiren, Azerbaycan'da İslam üzerine tarihsel bir perspektif içine yerleştiriyor. Wiktor-Mach, Şiilikten vazgeçmezken, Sünni İslam'ın Türk versiyonunda güç kazanacağını tahmin ediyor. Wiktor-Mach Bakü'ye odaklanıyor ve bu nedenle çalışmaları İslami şehir çalışmaları arasında sayılabilir. Azerbaycan bölgelerinde İslam'ın gelişimini analiz eden daha fazla araştırma memnuniyetle karşılanacaktır.

Keywords

Azerbaycan, Bakü, İslam, din, diriliş

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