19th Century Missionary Reports as Sources for (Kurdish) Kizilbash History

What is it about?

Ayfer Karakaya-Stump’s article, Reflections on the 19th Century Missionary Reports as Sources for the History of the (Kurdish) Kizilbash, critically examines the use of 19th-century missionary reports as historical sources for studying the Kızılbaş communities, particularly Kurdish Kızılbaş groups. She highlights the methodological challenges posed by these sources, including their Eurocentric biases, religious agendas, and limited understanding of Kızılbaş beliefs and practices. Despite these limitations, she argues that missionary reports can still provide valuable insights when carefully contextualized, particularly regarding the socio-religious dynamics, geographical distribution, and external perceptions of Kızılbaş communities in the 19th century. Additionally, the article includes a transliteration of a missionary letter, providing a primary source example that sheds light on contemporary observations of the Kızılbaş. Karakaya-Stump ultimately calls for a more nuanced and critical approach to utilizing such sources in Alevi and Kızılbaş historiography.

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