Publication: Suudi Arabistan'da milli kimlik ve aidiyet inşa sürecinde vehhabiliğin etkisi
Abstract
Bu çalışma, 1902’den 1970 yılına kadar Suudi Arabistan’da kimlik ve aidiyet inşasını tartışmaktadır. Araştırma, din-devlet ve kabile asabiyeti – modern devlet kıskacında modern Ortadoğu’da ulus devlet formasyonun gelişimi ile birlikte, Suudi ailesinin siyasi hegemonyasını yaydığı Arabistan yarımadasında siyasi, toplumsal ve sosyal türdeşleştirme stratejisini konu etmektedir. Suudiler, Orta Arabistan’da istikrarlı siyasi bir yönetim tarzı ve yönetilebilir bir toplum inşa etmek için, asırlara dayanan kabilevi, mezhebi/ dini ve bölgesel yerleşik alt aidiyetlerini dönüştürme siyasetini benimsemişlerdir. Orta Arabistan’ın sosyal ve siyasi düzenini yapısal bir dönüşüm iddiasıyla hegemonyasını kuran Suudi hanedanı, kimlik inşasını bütünleştirici ve kaynaştırıcı kabile-üstü şemsiye bir kavram olan din veya Vehhabilik doktrini üzerinden inşa etmişledir. Suudi modelinde olduğu gibi, dinin modern bir kimliğin inşa edilebilirliği bulgulanmıştır. Araştırma, Suudi hanedanın devlet merkezli üstten aşağıya bir yöntemle toplumu kabile-üstü ortak dayanışma, duygu ve inançlar kümesi oluşturmak için Vehhabiliği, modern ulusvari ideolojilere benzer şekilde üst-kimlik olarak kurguladığı sonucuna varmıştır. Kimliğini dine dayandıran Suudi Arabistan, özetle “kabile asabiyetinden din asabiyetine” dönüşüm bu çalışmanın temel tezini oluşturmaktadır. Bu çalışmada Suudi Arabistan’da milli kimlik oluşumunun kültürel boyutları üzerinde durarak Suudileşmenin nasıl kavramsallaştırılabileceğine dair özgün bir model ve kavramlar önerilmektedir. Toplumbilimsel bir enstrümana dönüştürülen asabiyete dayandırılan “din asabiyeti”, Suudileşmeyi tanımlamaktadır. Suudileşme biri yapısöküm, diğeri de inşa süreci olmak üzere iki sacayak üzerine bina edilerek, dinin hem özne hem de nesne şeklinde rolü olduğu görülmüştür. Nitekim çağdaş milli kimliklerinin oluşumunda bir paradoks gibi görünse de, nüfusun üçte ikisinden fazlası göçebe topluluklarından oluşan Orta Arabistan coğrafyası, söz konusu dini araçları aracılığıyla yerel alt aidiyetlerin zayıflamasına yol açarken, toplumsal düzeyde asgari sosyal barışı ve kültürel birliği sağlamıştır. Bu yüzden Vehhabilik, Suudi ailesinin meşruiyet kaynağının ötesinde egemenliğin aracı ve ulusal kimliğin ana unsuru olmuştur.
This study discusses identity building in Saudi Arabia from 1902 to 1970. The research deals with the development of the nation-state formation in the modern Middle East in the grip of religion-state and tribal solidarity - modern state, as well as social and social homogenization in the Arabian Peninsula, where the Saudi family spread its political hegemony. The Saudis have adopted policy of transforming centuries-old tribal, sectarian/ religious and regional subordinate affiliations, in order to build a stable political authority style and a manageable society in Central Arabia. The Saudis, who established their hegemony with the claim of a structural transformation in the social and political order of Central Arabia, built on the doctrine of a supra-tribal umbrella concept religion, namely Wahhabism. It is clearly seen in the Saudi model that religion is an important element in the construction of a modern identity. Basing its identity on religion, Saudi Arabia can be summarized as a transformation “from tribal asabiyyah to religious asabiyyah”. The research concluded that the Saudi dynasty builded Wahhabism as a supra-identity, similar to modern nationalist ideologies, in order to create a supra-tribal set of common solidarity, feelings and beliefs, with a state-centered top-down imposition method. In this study, an original model and concepts on how Saudization can be conceptualized are proposed by emphasizing the cultural dimensions of national identity formation in Saudi Arabia. “Religious asabiyyah”, which is based on asabiyyah and has been transformed into a sociological instrument, defines Saudization. Saudization process was built on two pillars, one of deconstruction and the other of the construction, and it has been observed that religion has a role both as a subject and as an object. As a matter of fact, although it seems like a paradox in the formation of modern national identities, the geography of Central Arabia, which consists of more than two-thirds of the population of nomadic communities, has provided a minimum level of social peace and cultural unity through its religious tools. For this reason, Wahhabism has become the main element of national identity and a tool of sovereignty beyond the source of legitimacy of the Saudi family.
This study discusses identity building in Saudi Arabia from 1902 to 1970. The research deals with the development of the nation-state formation in the modern Middle East in the grip of religion-state and tribal solidarity - modern state, as well as social and social homogenization in the Arabian Peninsula, where the Saudi family spread its political hegemony. The Saudis have adopted policy of transforming centuries-old tribal, sectarian/ religious and regional subordinate affiliations, in order to build a stable political authority style and a manageable society in Central Arabia. The Saudis, who established their hegemony with the claim of a structural transformation in the social and political order of Central Arabia, built on the doctrine of a supra-tribal umbrella concept religion, namely Wahhabism. It is clearly seen in the Saudi model that religion is an important element in the construction of a modern identity. Basing its identity on religion, Saudi Arabia can be summarized as a transformation “from tribal asabiyyah to religious asabiyyah”. The research concluded that the Saudi dynasty builded Wahhabism as a supra-identity, similar to modern nationalist ideologies, in order to create a supra-tribal set of common solidarity, feelings and beliefs, with a state-centered top-down imposition method. In this study, an original model and concepts on how Saudization can be conceptualized are proposed by emphasizing the cultural dimensions of national identity formation in Saudi Arabia. “Religious asabiyyah”, which is based on asabiyyah and has been transformed into a sociological instrument, defines Saudization. Saudization process was built on two pillars, one of deconstruction and the other of the construction, and it has been observed that religion has a role both as a subject and as an object. As a matter of fact, although it seems like a paradox in the formation of modern national identities, the geography of Central Arabia, which consists of more than two-thirds of the population of nomadic communities, has provided a minimum level of social peace and cultural unity through its religious tools. For this reason, Wahhabism has become the main element of national identity and a tool of sovereignty beyond the source of legitimacy of the Saudi family.