Alevi Communities in Western Europe: Identity and Religious Strategies

Résumé En

Aleviness has become a Western European phenomenon. Although most Alevis settled in Western European countries in the 1960s, 1970s and early 1980s, Aleviness has only recently appeared in the public spheres of settlement countries, indicating that this trend is due not so much to the migration process itself, as to the growing public awareness of questions regarding Islam. Another important factor has been a general Alevi resurgence, observed both in Turkey and in the settlement countries since the late 1980s. The aim of this article is to provide an overview of the Alevi phenomenon in Western Europe. The first part analyses the settlement of Alevis in Western European countries and the main trends and dynamics of the revival since the late 1980s. The second part studies the ways in which Alevist organisations’ strategies for institutionalization and recognition differ in the various places where they have settled, these strategies being strongly linked to the opportunities available. As a result, divergent identities are claimed in different places. The last part deals with the difficulties of transnationalising identity and recognition strategies on various scales, including the European scale.