KIRVELIK TRADITION IN DIFFERENT RELIGIOUS GROUPS: A RESEARCH ON THE TRANSFORMATION OF RITUAL KINSHIP

Abstract

Institution of kirvelik which has a long history in Anatolian geography and in the regions related with this geography corresponds to the relation that builds a new kinship regardless of blood relationship between the person circumcised, the person who bears the expenses of circumcision and their families. Kirvelik tradition that is widely practiced in some cities in Eastern and South-eastern regions of Turkey along with some cities in Central Anatolia is frequently practiced among different social groups. Kirve, in general sense, is not only a part of an acknowledgement that is economically limited, but also is the person who additionally undertakes legal and social sanctions. Kirve, who becomes much closer to the person circumcised and his family than their first degree relatives, can establish a new social lifelong relationship. However, nowadays, the institution of kirvelik which undergoes significant transformations with the wide-spread globalisation process seems to exist in symbolic terms. In this study, on the basis of Şanlıurfa example, the transformation of kirvelik tradition in time and space boundaries is scrutinised within in-depth interviews with Sunni, Alevi and Yezidi groups and by discourse analysis method.

Keywords

• Kirve
• kirvelik
• virtual
• kinship
• circumcision
• tradition