Reconstructing the political : a study on contemporary Alevi politics from a generative structuralist perspective

Abstract

The thesis, fırstly, introduces and engages in a critica! relationship with the sociological theory (namely, generative structuralism) of Pierre Bourdieu, retbinking his understanding of politics as a "field". For this purpose, the theory of ageney within the paradigm of generative structuralism is questioned and supplementary views are offered, emphasizing the no tion of "class embodiment". The central aim of this critica! engagement is to use the Bourdieusian "toolbox" for the sociological study of social movements. Secondly, building on the strengths of Bourdieu's theory of field analysis, and on the suggestions for the "treatment" of the theory' s weaknesses, the thesis focuses on contemporary Alevi politics as a case. Making use of an intensive literature research, the inner dynamics, agent-structure relationships and the limits (in terms of both potentials and constraints) of contemporary Alevism as a social mavement is investigated. In conclusion, the thesis makes a brief discussion, inspired by the M.A. candidate' s own political dispositions, of the possibility of transformatİ ve, resİstant political action within Alevism. In the same chapter, there also is a crude proposal for a future research agenda for the study of social movements using generative structuralism.