Akademik Veri Yönetim Sistemi
PAEDAGOGICA HISTORICA, sa.0, ss.1-25, 2025 (SSCI)
The Nusayri community, residing primarily in the coastal regions ofSyria, Antakya (Antioch), and Çukurova, remained largely isolatedfrom mainstream Ottoman society due to their distinct religiousbeliefs and esoteric practices. Despite their official recognition asMuslims, they were often marginalised within the broader Islamiccommunity. This article examines the efforts undertaken during thelate Ottoman period and the early years of the Turkish Republic tointegrate the Nusayri community into the dominant social andpolitical order. These efforts, characterised by a combination ofreligious reform and cultural assimilation policies, can be under-stood as processes of identity construction. The study, based on anin-depth analysis of Ottoman and Republican archival documents,highlights the instrumental role of education in these processes.The article also notes the shift from religious to national identity asthe focus of identity-building activities from the Ottoman toRepublican period. In this process, it was emphasised that identityconstruction, which was implemented in the form of belief correc-tion during the Ottoman period, evolved into race correction dur-ing the Republican period. Despite these efforts, the Nusayricommunity largely retained its distinct language, cultural traditions,and religious beliefs, suggesting that the attempts to imposea singular national identity met with limited success.