중동부유럽

The purpose of this study is to understand the identity problem in Germany. Today the number of Alevis living in Germany is estimated between 400,000 and 600,000. In the 1980s and 1990s, as multiculturalism gained momentum, multicultural policies provided many institutional opportunities, resources and space for institutionalization of cultural organizations. Aware of the political support for multiculturalism, Alevis negotiated with German society and began to stress their distinctiveness and frame it in terms of culture in need of protection. The existence and perception of this cultural opportunity helped to structure the Alevist movement and contribute to the emergence of a central organization, the Federation of Alevi Communities of Germany (AABF: Avrupa Alevi Birlikleri Federasyonu). The recognition of the Anatolian Alevis’ Cultural Centre (AAKM: Anadolu Alevileri Kültür Merkezi) led indirectly to transformation of Aleviness in Berlin into a denomination. In order to be recognized as a religious community, the AABF has to prove the existence of a clearly identifiable organizational structure, so it initiated a modification of its statutes and its internal organization. In order to obtain this status, the AABF has to furnish proof of a binding religious authority.