The Turkish Faith and Religiosity Survey (TFRS) was conducted between December 2021 and May 2022, with the aim of providing a comprehensive and consistent statistical understanding of the religious beliefs, attitudes, and behaviors prevalent in Türkiye. The survey was administered to a random sample of 1,942 individuals aged 18 and over in 12 regions, with representation from both rural and urban populations in proportion. The survey contained approximately 200 questions covering various dimensions of religious beliefs, attitudes, and practices, and the results are presented in the report through graphs, tables, and maps. The report provides insights into the distribution of religious beliefs and practices based on gender, age group, education level, rural-urban residence, and geographical region. The TFRS project had two main goals. The first goal was to achieve a more comprehensive and consistent methodological approach than previous studies in examining the statistical distribution of common beliefs and religious practices in Türkiye. The second goal was to evaluate the efficacy of new methods for collecting reliable data in large-scale sociological and statistical studies in Türkiye. To address the limitations of previous surveys, the TFRS survey questions were developed by the research team in consultation with academic experts, and efforts were made to avoid statements that could be perceived as challenging the participants' beliefs and attitudes, in order to minimize the likelihood of socially desirable responses. Innovative field application techniques, such as a self-administered questionnaire form, were developed to encourage participants to respond to survey questions comfortably and without pressure. The TFRS study offers the opportunity to generate novel and original statistical data on the religious beliefs, practices, and attitudes prevalent in Türkiye. The study demonstrates that highly representative data can be collected through voluntary methods, and highlights the potential of new technologies and methods, such as electronic applications and catchment area-based sampling methods, in collecting reliable data without sacrificing quality. The study also includes an online perception survey to assess the prevalence of common beliefs and practices related to religiosity throughout Türkiye, providing a comparison to the data collected in the field. The TFRS study provides important insights into the distribution of religious beliefs and practices in Türkiye, and offers valuable guidance for future large-scale sociological and statistical studies in the region

The right to freedom of religion or belief, as enshrined in international human rights documents, is unique in its formulation in that it provides protection for the enjoyment of the rights "in community with others". This book explores the notion of the collective dimension of freedom of religion or belief with a view to advance the protection of this right. The book considers Turkey which provides a useful test case where both the domestic legislation can be assessed against international standards, while at the same time lessons can be drawn for the improvement of the standard of international review of the protection of the collective dimension of freedom of religion or belief. The book asks two main questions: what is the scope and nature of protection afforded to the collective dimension of freedom of religion or belief in international law, and, secondly, how does the protection of the collective dimension of freedom of religion or belief in Turkey compare and contrast to international standards? In doing so it seeks to identify how the standard of international review of the collective dimension of freedom of religion can be improved.

I find in this volume an admirable mix of empirical material – on, for example, religious socialization and perceptions of gender – and reflective pieces, which interrogate the place of religion in Turkish society. Key in this respect is the fact that Turkey is not simply a Muslim society but a distinctive one, not least in terms of the functional differentiation of the modern republic and its consequent effect on religion – a situation that offers a unique challenge to sociological enquiry. The book concludes with a series of chapters that deal with the particularities of the modernization process in Turkey and the tensions (social, cultural and political) that have emerged as the modern state developed – a stage by stage process. Prof. Grace Davie, University of Exeter, Great Britain

Conflicts, Religion and Culture in Tourism highlights the role of religious tourism and pilgrimage as a tool for improving cultural relations. Helping to form culture and society worldwide, faith plays a vital part in cross-cultural conflict resolution and opening dialogue across peoples. This book shows how faith and activism can respond to the common challenges of peace making and coexistence both within and among the world's many traditions. Conflicts, Religion and Culture in Tourism provides a timely assessment of the increasing linkages and interconnections between religious tourism and secular spaces on a global stage. Written from a multidisciplinary perspective, it provides an invaluable resource for those studying and researching religion, tourism and cultural management.

In Psychology of Religion in Turkey, senior and emerging Turkish scholars present critical conceptual analyses and empirical studies devoted to psychology of religion in Turkey. Part 1 consists of articles placing the psychology of religion in the historical context of an ancient culture undergoing modernization and secularization and articles devoted to conceptual themes suggesting the uniqueness of Islam among the great faith traditions. Part 2 is devoted to empirical studies of religion in the Turkish-Islamic includuing studies focused on the religious life of Turkish youth, popular religiosity, spirituality, and Muslim religious development in light of Al-Ghazzali. Part 3 is devoted to several empirical studies on a variety of social outcomes of religious commitment in Turkey.

The protection of the right to freedom of thought, conscience and religion is one of the most basic tenets of a democratic society. This right is not only crucial for those who believe, but is also so for atheists, agnostics and sceptics who have no religious beliefs. It is also considered a cornerstone of a democratic society and is closely linked to pluralism, tolerance and open-mindedness. Turkey has been involved in an accession process in order to become a full member of the European Union (EU) since 2005. The Justice and Development Party (Adalet ve Kalkınma Partisi – AKP), which first formed a government after its election victory of 2002, pledged to introduce reforms and lift prohibitions. Hence, although the AKP has made significant progress towards meeting the political norms required for EU membership in its twelve years in power, there are many outstanding restrictions regarding the right to freedom of thought, conscience and religion which remain in place. This book provides an overview of recent developments pertaining to the protection of the right to freedom of religion and belief in Turkey, a country that in its constitution is defined as a democratic and secular state. As it is not feasible to examine all questions in one book, this study will confine itself to the most topical and urgent issues.

This two-volume encyclopedia profiles the contemporary culture and society of every country in Europe. Each country receives a chapter encompassing such topics as religion, lifestyle and leisure, standard of living, cuisine, gender roles, relationships, dress, music, visual arts, and architecture. This authoritative and comprehensive encyclopedia provides readers with richly detailed entries on the 45 nations that comprise modern Europe. Each country profile looks at elements of contemporary life related to family and work, including popular pastimes, customs, beliefs, and attitudes. Students can make cross-cultural comparisons-for instance, a student could compare social customs in Denmark with those in Norway, compare Greece's cuisine with that of Italy, and contrast the architecture of Paris with Amsterdam and Barcelona. Culture and society are changing in each region and nation of Europe due to many political and economic forces, both inside and outside of each nation's borders. This encyclopedia considers many of the transformations connected to globalization, as well as traditions that still hold strong, to provide a complete assessment of the processes that make European societies and cultures distinctive.

This book examines key debates on religion and democratization from three main perspectives: Religious traditions have core elements which are more or less conducive to democratization and democracy; Religious traditions may be multi-vocal – but at any moment there may be dominant voices more or less receptive to and encouraging of democratization; Religious actors rarely if ever determine democratization outcomes. However, they may in various ways and with a range of outcomes be of significance for democratization. The contributions are divided into two sections: (1) Religion, democratization and democracy, and (2) Secularization, democratization and democracy. Overall, they examine the three assertions in the bullet points above. The book’s starting point is that in general around the world, religions have left their assigned place in the private sphere. This means they have in many cases become recognisably politically active in various ways and with assorted outcomes. This re-emergence from political marginality dates back until at least the 1980s. At that time, the US sociologist, Jose Casanova noted that ‘what was new and became "news" ... was the widespread and simultaneous refusal of religions to be restricted to the private sphere’. This involved a remodelling and re-assumption of public roles by religion, which theories of secularisation had long condemned to social and political marginalisation. This book was published as a special issue of Democratization.

This report provides a summary of key legislation in Türkiye and identifies systemic discrimination both in the drafting of law and its implementation (or lack thereof). The report covers important minority rights, including the right to freedom of religion or belief, the right to political affiliation and representation, and right to language. The report argues that discrimination against minorities in Türkiye is a structural problem grounded on historical and current forms of Turkish nationalism. Turkish nationalism, the author maintains, negatively affects minorities across several rights, and is in turn exacerbated by intersectional forms of discrimination. Insights into the nature of systemic discrimination in Türkiye include limited legal protection and gaps between legislation and enforcement as well as ineffective institutional mechanisms. Offering a general account of structural discrimination faced by a number of ethnic, linguistic and religious minorities in Türkiye, this report also outlines a series of important recommendations to government, international organisations and civil society. Finally, the author outlines the impact of recent earthquake disasters on minority communities in Türkiye. Highlighting the discriminatory attitudes and practices faced by minorities during the most recent earthquake in February 2023, the author argues that disaster management policy in Türkiye exacerbates vulnerability among Roma communities and LGBTQI+ persons especially.

2. Türkiye Sosyal Bilimler Sempozyumu, Ankara Yıldırım Beyazıt Üniversitesi ile Oku Okut Derneği iş birliğinde 27-31 Ağustos 2022 tarihlerinde çevrim içi olarak gerçekleştirildi. Sempozyuma 264 bildiri başvurusu ulaştı. Ön inceleme sonrası bu çalışmalar, ilgili olduğu bilim alanından 2 hakemin incelemesine sunuldu. İnceleme sonucunda başvurulardan 92’si kabul edildi. Beş gün süren sempozyuma 50 farklı üniversite ve kurumdan katılım sağlandı. Sempozyumun açılış oturumda “Sosyal Bilimlerin Bugünü ve Geleceği” konusuna odaklanıldı. Alanında yetkin isimlerden felsefe, sosyoloji, tarih, hukuk ve ilahiyat disiplinlerinin bugüne ne söyledikleri ve geleceğe ne söyleyebilecekleri sorularının cevapları arandı. Sosyal bilimler alanında akademik araştırmanın ve yazımın daha etkin yürütülebilmesine yönelik uygulamaya dönük sunumlar ikinci oturumda yer aldı. Sosyal bilimlerin genelini ilgilendiren açılış oturumlarından sonra toplam 31 ayrı oturum düzenlendi. Bu oturumlarda felsefe, sosyoloji, ilahiyat bilimleri, Türk dili, Arap dili, sanat tarihi, müzik, siyaset bilimi ve uluslararası ilişkiler alanlarında sunumlar gerçekleştirildi. 2. Türkiye Sosyal Bilimler Sempozyumu Bildiri Özetleri Kitabı, bu sempozyumda sunulan bildirilerin Türkçe ve İngilizce özetlerini içermektedir. Sunulan bildirilerden bazılarının tam metinleri, Tetkik: Türk-İslam Kültürü Dergisi’nde hakem sürecine alınarak Eylül 2022 sayısında makale türünde yayımlandı. Sempozyumun tamamının video kayıtları ise sempozyum web sitesinde erişime açıldı. Sosyal bilimler kapsamında yer alan bilim dalları, anlamaya odaklanan ve “verinin” değerinin gün geçtikçe arttığı günümüzde daha da önem kazanan, kazanması gereken disiplinlerdir. Bu bilim dallarında verinin kıymetlendirilmesi, tecrübe aktarımı ile zaman içinde meleke hâline gelmektedir. Bu kapsamda lisansüstü eğitimlerine devam eden öğrenciler ile alanlarında uzman isimlerin bilimsel bir etkinlikte bir araya gelmeleri tecrübe aktarımına imkân sağlaması bakımından önemlidir. Türkiye Sosyal Bilimler Sempozyumu, profesyoneller ile lisansüstü öğrencileri bir araya getirerek tecrübe aktarımına imkân sağlamak, disiplinler arası iletişimi ve çalışmaları güçlendirmek ve akademik üretime katkı sağlamak düşüncesiyle düzenlenmiş ve istenilen sonuçlara ulaşılmıştır.