The Oxford Handbook of Religion in Turkey

On 28 January, the Middle East Centre joined forces with the European Studies Centre and the South East Europe at Oxford programme to host the launch of The Oxford Handbook of Religion in Turkey. The event marked the opening of the Michaelmas term’s Tuesday Seminar series and celebrated the publication of what promises to become a landmark volume in the study of religion and Turkish society.

The evening was introduced by Professor Eugene Rogan, who stood in for Professor Laurent Mignon—one of the book’s contributors and the original instigator of the launch event—who was unfortunately unwell. Professor Rogan warmly acknowledged Professor Mignon’s contribution to the volume and to the broader field of Turkish literary and religious studies, and he expressed what many in the audience likely felt: a desire to hear more from the editors and contributors about a book that brings together some of the finest contemporary scholarship on religion in Turkey.

Editors Professor Caroline Tee (University of Chester) and Dr Fabio Vicini (University of Edinburgh) opened the panel by sharing the origins and aims of the project. Conceived in the early days of the COVID-19 pandemic, the idea for the handbook grew from a desire for scholarly collaboration during a time of unprecedented isolation. Yet it was also driven by a clear sense that something was missing from the field. As Tee explained, there was a noticeable gap in accessible, interdisciplinary, and comprehensive studies on religion in Turkey—particularly ones that could serve both as teaching tools and as references for researchers.One of the project’s aims, Vicini noted, was to challenge the long-standing dominance of secularism as a lens through which modern Turkey has been studied. The founding principles of the Turkish Republic, with their stark break from Ottoman traditions and Islamic institutions, shaped a scholarly landscape in which religion—especially Islamic theology—was often sidelined or examined only through the prism of secular modernity. In response, the handbook deliberately centres religious experience, theology, minority faiths, and everyday religious practices, offering a richer and more nuanced picture of Turkish society.

With contributions from 42 scholars—22 men and 20 women—the volume is divided into eight thematic sections, ranging from the transition from the Ottoman to the Republican eras, to theology, religious minorities, art and architecture, politics, and emerging issues in Turkish religious life. Tee highlighted several chapters during her remarks, including Martin van Bruinessen’s groundbreaking work on Kurdish madrasa traditions, and Christine Robins’ rare and important chapter on the Yazidis of Turkey. The handbook also gives voice to underrepresented communities such as Orthodox Christians and Jews in Turkey, with many of these chapters authored by emerging female scholars engaged in original fieldwork.

The second section of the event turned to the contributors. Dr Sertaç Sehlikoglu (UCL) spoke about her co-authored chapter on Muslim womanhood and leisure, which draws on ethnographic work in Istanbul gyms and the world of “Muslim fashionistas.” Her work challenges assumptions that frame Muslim women solely through the lens of piety, showing instead the multiplicity of identities, aspirations, and lifestyle choices that coexist within religious lives.

Dr Stefan Williamson Fa (University of Cambridge) reflected on his chapter focusing on Turkey’s minority Twelver Shia (or Ja'fari) communities, particularly in the country’s eastern provinces. He examined how devotional sound, such as lamentation and ritual recitation, not only shapes communal religious life but also plays a key role in marking public space and asserting presence. Sound, he argued, has a distinct materiality—it resonates beyond physical boundaries and helps forge transnational religious identities that link Turkey to Iran, Azerbaijan, and the wider Shi‘i world.

What set the evening apart was the opportunity for the editors and contributors to pose critical questions to each other—a rare treat for the audience and a demonstration of the genuinely collaborative nature of the volume. Questions ranged from the theological implications of ambiguity in the Gülen movement (raised by Tee and co-author Kim Shively), to whether the shift from mystical Sufi esotericism to modern Islamic ethical activism constitutes a kind of secularisation (posed by Tee to Vicini). These exchanges reflected the book’s central ambition: not simply to document religious life in Turkey, but to interrogate the categories and assumptions that have shaped its study.

The panel closed with a sense of satisfaction and camaraderie. While the print edition is still forthcoming, much of the volume is already available online through Oxford University Press, with several chapters currently free to download. The editors expressed their hope that the handbook will serve not only as a reference, but as a launching point for future inquiry and dialogue.

As Professor Rogan remarked in closing, The Oxford Handbook of Religion in Turkey is more than just a compilation—it is a significant intellectual milestone. By bringing together scholars of different disciplines, career stages, and personal backgrounds, the volume opens up new avenues for understanding religion in Turkey in all its richness and contradiction.

by Julie Adams (ESC Administrator)