The master's thesis titled “Religion, Memory, and Sense of Belonging: The Tradition of Memorization of the Qur’an in Turkey (1923–1950)” by our Sociology MA graduate Büşra Coşkun, written under the supervision of Prof. Dr. Ramazan Aras, Head of the Department of Sociology at Ibn Haldun University, is being published as a book by Ibn Haldun University Press. This significant academic work offers an in-depth analysis of the impact of secularization policies implemented in Turkey between 1923 and 1950 on social structures and perceptions of identity. It examines how the Republic of Turkey’s secularization, modernization, and Westernization policies transformed the religious and cultural structures inherited from the Ottoman Empire.
The study particularly focuses on state–religion relations through the lens of the tradition of Qur’anic memorization (Hafızlık). In this context, it compiles the perceptions, experiences, and life stories of memorizers of the Qur’an regarding state policies, violence, and oppression, offering valuable data on the interrelations between religion, the state, memory, identity, and belonging.
Coşkun’s work fills an important gap at the intersection of the disciplines of sociology and history, contributing to our understanding of religious structures in Turkey between 1923 and 1950. The study enables a comprehensive analysis of the long-term effects of state secularization policies on religious structures and perceptions of identity within society.
We congratulate our student on this accomplishment and wish her continued success in her academic career. The book will soon be available to readers under the label of Ibn Haldun University Press.
