Prof. Alev Erkilet authored the chapter titled “Some Observations on the Concepts of Secularism and Secularization” for the book project “Specialized Meeting on Secularization (Worldliness)”. The book, prepared with our professor’s contribution, was recently published by Birlik Academy.
Prof. Alev Erkilet’s work is a sociological analysis that handles the concepts of secularism and secularization through the fundamental differences between Western and Turkish experiences. According to Prof. Alev Erkilet, secularism, in its general sense, is a philosophical stance advocating that religion or religious thought must be separated from other areas of society. This understanding, accepted as one of the three main pillars of modern society along with the nation-state and capitalism, emerged in Western Europe from the 15th century onwards as a search for a solution to the oppressive rule of the Church and the feudal order. This process in the West is a spontaneous change born from social needs or a natural result of social movements.
“Secularizing” in Türkiye
In the context of Türkiye, however, the process followed a course quite different from the one in the West. Although there was no Western-type theocracy or inquisition in Ottoman society, in the first years of the Republic, secularization was implemented as a “social engineering” project imposed from the top down through the use of force. This situation led to the change gaining the character of a “compulsory” rather than a “free” cultural change. In the example of Türkiye, religion and state were not separated in the full sense; on the contrary, religion was put under the control and guidance of the state. Prof. Alev Erkilet states that due to this coercive quality, it is more accurate to use the concept of “secularizing” instead of “secularization” for the Turkish experience.
Consumption and Worldliness
Another important concept drawn attention to in the text is “worldliness”. Worldliness means the severing of God’s connection with worldly affairs and the splitting into parts of life. Even though society showed resistance against oppressive secularism practices in Türkiye, the processes of individualization, worldliness, and articulation to capitalism continued underneath along with discourses of development and modernization. It is emphasized that, especially after 2000, even if state pressure decreased, capitalism infiltrated the daily lives of religious segments through consumer culture and transformed them.
In conclusion, Prof. Alev Erkilet expresses that in today’s “society of transparency and exhibition”, exhibition value has taken the place of the essential value of objects and that this creates an alienation. The solution proposed against this secularization and capitalist encirclement is the revitalization of the thought of “Islamism”. This approach is defined as a field of struggle aiming to defend the integrity of life with the principle of tawhid, to adopt simplicity instead of conspicuous consumption, to make women active subjects, and to implement Islam as a holistic life order.
We congratulate our professor and wish her continued success in her valuable academic endeavours.
