Our Sociology PhD candidate Nesibe Demir successfully defended her long-standing dissertation titled “Discipline, Affect, and Resistance: Subjectivities of ‘Religious Youth’ as a Lifelong Meleke Construction Process in Türkiye” and has officially became a PhD.
The thesis, studied under the supervision of Prof. Alev Erkilet, was found successful before a jury consisting of Asst. Prof. Tesnim Khriji (Ibn Haldun University), Prof. Faruk Karaarslan (Necmettin Erbakan University), Prof. Mahmut Hakkı Akın (Istanbul Medeniyet University), and Asst. Prof. Arzu Ünal (Ibn Haldun University).
In her dissertation, Demir explores the subjectivities of current youth who identify themselves as "religious" or are regarded as "religious," in relation to idealized youth discourses of Islamism in Türkiye.
Tracing the genealogy of the "youth myth" in Türkiye from the Republican era to the present day, the thesis examines the experiences and subjectivity-construction processes of "religious" young Muslims who are in close relationships with different religious groups, within a controversial discursive field where public debates and academic studies are increasing regarding young Muslims distancing themselves from Islam or developing an individualistic understanding of Islam by abandoning the collectivity. The thesis employs an ethnographic research approach, including participant observation, one-on-one interviews, and focus group discussions. Furthermore, a critical discourse analysis of the books, journals, and speeches of leading figures in the Islamist tradition in Türkiye is conducted.
Critically engaging with postmodern theories of subjectivity, the thesis analyzes the subjectivity of young Muslims, particularly in relation to affective bonds, discipline, and resistance, by reformulating Ibn Khaldun's concept of meleke. It also analyzes and discusses the common and divergent positions of youth in their relationship with the Islamist tradition within this context.
Therefore, the thesis offers original and multifaceted contributions to the literature on sociology of youth, anthropology of religion, sociology and anthropology of Islam, Islamism, and subjectivity through its conceptual proposal for understanding Muslim subjectivity, its analysis of discursive constructions directed towards youth, and their positioning within different religious groups.
As Ibn Haldun University, we congratulate Nesibe Demir on her success and wish her continued excellence in her future endeavours.
