Changing Religious Lifestyles in the Context of Secularization and Consumption in Turkey

Abstract

The changing in religious lifestyles in Turkish society has created an important area of discussion in the social and political spheres. One of the most important phenomenon that emerges as the reason for this change, which is interpreted in different ways by the secular and religious individuals in the society, is consumption. Consumption, which is one of the necessities of modern life, undoubtedly affects the life of every individual in the society and functions as a domination apparatus that enables the individual to integrate into the society, where they live in. Therefore, individuals internalize the consumption culture imposed on them in order to integrate with the society. In Turkey, which has started to transform into a consumer society since the 1980s, consumption is gradually increasing its popularity among individuals who both have religious and secular lifestyles. In this study, in parallel with the increase in the visibility of religious individuals in the social sphere since the 1980s, the way they internalize the consumption phenomenon and the reflections of the changes in the way they live their religiosity on social life are reviewed within the framework of the relevant literature.