A Sociological Analysis of Treasure Hunting Spiritualism and Ocultism in the Antalya-Elmalı Region

Osman Özarslan

Makale detayları

A Sociological Analysis of Treasure Hunting Spiritualism and Ocultism in the Antalya-Elmalı Region

Yazarlar:

Osman Özarslan

Yayıncı:

Hacettepe University

Ana Başlıklar:

Sosyoloji (Diğer)

Dergi:

Moment Dergi Vol.10 Issue 2, pp.384-404

Belge Tipi:

Makale

Yayın Tarihi:

12/2023

Belge Dili:

Türkçe

Document ID (Org No.):

2001308689

pISSN:

2148-970X

Anahtar kelimeler:

Özet:

 Archaeology, as a form of knowledge that emerged after the French Revolution, seeks to understand and make sense of the ancient world primarily through architectural remains, iconography, numismatics, semiography, paleography and social-physical anthropology. Treasure hunters, on the other hand, relate to archaeological remains through archetypal stories such as the story of Solomons treasure and the parable of Belkis, the amulet makers, talismanists narrations and bandit legends who see the trace-signs in the ruins as the cryptos of the treasure and who have mastered the science of kenz-ul havas, the Turkish-Islamic form of occult knowledge that can decipher this cryptos. The tension between the knowledge production of archaeology and the knowledge production of treasure hunters is also observed in the Elmalı region, where the field of this study is located. The tension between these two forms of knowledge, especially the way in which treasure diggers and those engaged in occult activities revolving around treasure digging make sense of the world, leads us to the question of how these syncretic layers are constructed, which is the main problematic of the study. What purposes these constructed layers serve, what their functions are, and how they function are other problematics. This study tries to explain that the syncretic layers constructed as a result of a number of historical and social processes are actually a kind of treasure hunter occultism, and that this occultism is constructed not only through historical, religious and local folkloric sources, but also through social media in a more layered way. In addition, it is tried to be explained that although this occult knowledge seems to be very central to treasure hunting activities, it is actually a kind of complementary knowledge and that it is a moral code that helps to sustain treasure hunting activities rather than finding treasure. Occultism in the Elmalı region has local folkloric and historical sources as well as a general and more intense circulation through social media. One of the issues addressed in this article will be that these publications on social media make occult knowledge more esoteric and that this esotericization is actually aimed at controlling both the material value and the layer of epistemology circulating in the treasure market.

 Archaeology, as a form of knowledge that emerged after the French Revolution, seeks to understand and make sense of the ancient world primarily through architectural remains, iconography, numismatics, semiography, paleography and social-physical anthropology. Treasure hunters, on the other hand, relate to archaeological remains through archetypal stories such as the story of Solomons treasure and the parable of Belkis, the amulet makers, talismanists narrations and bandit legends who see the trace-signs in the ruins as the cryptos of the treasure and who have mastered the science of kenz-ul havas, the Turkish-Islamic form of occult knowledge that can decipher this cryptos. The tension between the knowledge production of archaeology and the knowledge production of treasure hunters is also observed in the Elmalı region, where the field of this study is located. The tension between these two forms of knowledge, especially the way in which treasure diggers and those engaged in occult activities revolving around treasure digging make sense of the world, leads us to the question of how these syncretic layers are constructed, which is the main problematic of the study. What purposes these constructed layers serve, what their functions are, and how they function are other problematics. This study tries to explain that the syncretic layers constructed as a result of a number of historical and social processes are actually a kind of treasure hunter occultism, and that this occultism is constructed not only through historical, religious and local folkloric sources, but also through social media in a more layered way. In addition, it is tried to be explained that although this occult knowledge seems to be very central to treasure hunting activities, it is actually a kind of complementary knowledge and that it is a moral code that helps to sustain treasure hunting activities rather than finding treasure. Occultism in the Elmalı region has local folkloric and historical sources as well as a general and more intense circulation through social media. One of the issues addressed in this article will be that these publications on social media make occult knowledge more esoteric and that this esotericization is actually aimed at controlling both the material value and the layer of epistemology circulating in the treasure market.

 Archaeology, as a form of knowledge that emerged after the French Revolution, seeks to understand and make sense of the ancient world primarily through architectural remains, iconography, numismatics, semiography, paleography and social-physical anthropology. Treasure hunters, on the other hand, relate to archaeological remains through archetypal stories such as the story of Solomons treasure and the parable of Belkis, the amulet makers, talismanists narrations and bandit legends who see the trace-signs in the ruins as the cryptos of the treasure and who have mastered the science of kenz-ul havas, the Turkish-Islamic form of occult knowledge that can decipher this cryptos. The tension between the knowledge production of archaeology and the knowledge production of treasure hunters is also observed in the Elmalı region, where the field of this study is located. The tension between these two forms of knowledge, especially the way in which treasure diggers and those engaged in occult activities revolving around treasure digging make sense of the world, leads us to the question of how these syncretic layers are constructed, which is the main problematic of the study. What purposes these constructed layers serve, what their functions are, and how they function are other problematics. This study tries to explain that the syncretic layers constructed as a result of a number of historical and social processes are actually a kind of treasure hunter occultism, and that this occultism is constructed not only through historical, religious and local folkloric sources, but also through social media in a more layered way. In addition, it is tried to be explained that although this occult knowledge seems to be very central to treasure hunting activities, it is actually a kind of complementary knowledge and that it is a moral code that helps to sustain treasure hunting activities rather than finding treasure. Occultism in the Elmalı region has local folkloric and historical sources as well as a general and more intense circulation through social media. One of the issues addressed in this article will be that these publications on social media make occult knowledge more esoteric and that this esotericization is actually aimed at controlling both the material value and the layer of epistemology circulating in the treasure market.

 Arkeoloji, Fransız devriminden sonra ortaya çıkmış bir bilgi biçimi olarak, antik dünyayı en temelde, mimari kalıntılar, ikonografi, nümizmatik, semiyografi, paleografi ve sosyal-fiziksel antropoloji aracılığıyla anlamaya ve anlamlandırmaya çalışır. Defineciler ise arkeolojik kalıntılarla, Süleymanın hazinesi ve Belkıs kıssasındakine benzer arketipik hikayeler, kalıntılardaki iz-işaretleri hazinenin kriptosu olarak gören ve bu kriptoyu çözebilecek okült bilginin Türk-İslam formu olan kenz-ül havas ilmine hakim cinci-muskacı-tılsımcı taifesi ve eşkıya söylenceleri aracılığı ile ilişkilenir . Arkeoloji biliminin bilgi üretme biçimi ile definecilerin bilgi üretme biçimi arasındaki gerilim, bu çalışmanın sahasının yapıldığı Elmalı bölgesinde de gözlemlenir. Bu iki bilgi biçimi arasındaki gerilim, özellikle definecilik ve definecilik etrafında dönen okült faaliyetlerle uğraşanların dünyayı anlamlandırma biçimi bizi çalışmanın temel problematiği olan bu senkretik katmanlar nasıl inşa edilir sorusuna götürür. İnşa edilmiş bu katmanların hangi amaçlara hizmet ettiği, işlevlerinin neler olduğu, nasıl işlediği diğer problematikler. Bu çalışmada, tarihsel ve sosyal bir takım süreçlerin sonucunda inşa edilen senkretik katmanların aslında bir tür defineci okültizmi olduğu, bu okültizmin yalnızca tarihsel, dini ve yerel folklorik kaynaklar aracılığı ile değil, sosyal medya aracılığıyla daha katmanlı bir şekilde inşa edildiği anlatılmaya çalışılıyor. Ayrıca, bu okült bilginin definecilik faaliyetleri içerisinde çok merkezi gibi görünse de aslında, bir tür tamamlayıcı bilgi olduğu ve define bulmaktan ziyade, definecilik faaliyetlerinin sürdürülebilir kılmaya yarayan bir moral kod olduğu anlatılmaya çalışılıyor. Elmalı bölgesindeki okültizmin yerel folklorik, tarihsel kaynakları olduğu kadar sosyal medya üzerinden genel ve daha yoğun bir dolaşımı da var. Bu makalenin ele aldığı konulardan birisi de, sosyal medya üzerinden yapılan bu yayınların, okült bilgiyi daha ezoterik hale getirdiği ve bu ezoterikleşmenin aslında define piyasasında dolaşımda olan hem maddi değeri hem de epistemoloji katmanını kontrol altında tutmaya dönük olduğu olacak.

Makale detayları

A Sociological Analysis of Treasure Hunting Spiritualism and Ocultism in the Antalya-Elmalı Region

Yazarlar:

Osman Özarslan

Yayıncı:

Hacettepe University

Ana Başlıklar:

Sosyoloji (Diğer)

Dergi:

Moment Dergi Vol.10 Issue 2, pp.384-404

Belge Tipi:

Makale

Yayın Tarihi:

12/2023

Belge Dili:

Türkçe

Document ID (Org No.):

2001308689

pISSN:

2148-970X

Elmalı-Antalya

Treasure Hunting

Ocultism

Talisman

Esotericism

MagicAntalya-Elmalı

Define

Okültizm

Ezoterizm

Tılsım

Büyü

Sayı

Makale detayları

Yazarlar: Osman Özarslan

Yayıncı: Hacettepe University

Ana Başlıklar: Sosyoloji (Diğer)

Dergi: Moment Dergi Vol.10 Issue 2, pp.384-404

Belge Tipi: Makale

Yayın Tarihi: 12/2023

Belge Dili: Türkçe

Document ID (Org No.): 2001308689

pISSN: 2148-970X

Sayı

Yazarlar:

Osman Özarslan

Yayıncı:

Hacettepe University

Ana Başlıklar:

Sosyoloji (Diğer)

Dergi:

Moment Dergi Vol.10 Issue 2, pp.384-404

Belge Tipi:

Makale

Yayın Tarihi:

12/2023

Belge Dili:

Türkçe

Document ID (Org No.):

2001308689

pISSN:

2148-970X