An Overview of the Transformation of Alevi Ocaks Following Law No. 677 on the Closure of Tekkes and Zawiyas

Abstract

The Law No. 677 on the Closure of Dervish Lodges and Shrines, enacted on 30 November 1925, constituted one of the major legal reforms of the early Republican period within the broader framework of secularization and state centralization. Although the law did not explicitly regulate Alevi ocaks, it reshaped the legal and social environment in which traditional religious authority structures operated. This study examines the historical, sociological, and cultural implications of this transformation for the traditional ocak system, which is today identified with Alevi religious organization. Within this framework, the historical functions of ocaks, the institution of dedelik, the dede–talip relationship, the cem ritual, and the tradition of oral transmission are analysed to evaluate the transformation of the ocak system following the enactment of Law No. 677. Drawing upon historical documents, official records, and the existing literature, the study argues that the law should be understood not merely as a legal regulation but also as an important milestone in the restructuring of state–religion relations, which indirectly transformed traditional religious authority and organizational structures.