Cultural Reproduction of Sema (Whirling Dervishes)

Tracing its origins back to the 8th century and encompassing multiple layers of meaning, the practice of sema was embraced by Mawlana Jalal al-din Rumi in the 13th century as a ritual. After Mawlana, within the institutionalized tradition of Mawlawiyya, sema became a key instrument for the spiritual education of dervishes. By the 15th and 16th centuries, it had taken the form of the Mawlawi ritual performed according to specific rules. The 1925 law that banned tekkes, zawiyas, and tombs interrupted the continuity of the Mawlawi ceremony. Through the efforts of the Mawlawis and an agreement reached with the public authorities, the ritual was held in Konya in 1954 as part of the events commemorating Mevlâna. It is still performed as an intangible cultural legacy, but the postmodernism process has made it a touristy spectacle and commodified it. This study approaches the historical continuity of sema as an instance of cultural reproduction. The transformation of the sema from its origins to its current state has been examined through a multiple-case study design. A thematic analysis was conducted using various types of data sources, including historical, academic, and contemporary sources, as well as observations and audiovisual materials. In determining the themes, five dimensions of culture -civilization, education, art, religion, and economy-were considered. This study revealed categories such as institutionalization, formation, patronage, new religious movements, and tourism, as well as codes including Mawlawiyya, high-cultural mysticism, Mawlawi ritual, sema performance, and postmodern forms of production.