The Invisible Inhabitants of a Cultural Limbo

Abstract

This qualitative study, based on interviews and participant observation, is an effort to understand the religious identities of Turkish Shi'is (Ja'faris) living in Igdir by examining their rituals, their social and cultural lives, and their relations with Iran. The local population of Igdir consists of Shi'i Turks and Sunni Kurds. While the Turkish Shi'is living in the region meet on common ground with the majority of the country with their ethnic identities, they differ in their religious identities. It is possible to see these differences in the sociocultural life of the city, its religious rituals, and its multifaceted relations with Iran, the center of Shi'ism. The results of this research, which spanned a long period and included people from different parts of society, may constitute a basis for the further discussion of some points about the Ja'faris living in Igdir.