Between Realities and Representations. The Expansion of the Diyanet’s Religious Services Abroad
Between Realities and Representations. The Expansion of the Diyanet’s Religious Services Abroad

Summary/Abstract: In the past two decades, the Presidency of Religious Affairs (Diyanet) has evolved from a domestic religious bureaucracy into a global actor. Based on extensive ethnographic field-work conducted in Turkey, Europe, and the Middle East between 2013 and 2022, as well as an analysis of Diyanet regulations and activity reports, this article explores how bureaucratization has both enhanced and limited the Diyanet’s international mission. Shifting the analytical focus from soft power to bureaucratic rationalization, it argues that the expansion of religious services abroad is a double-edged process: while enhancing Turkey’s glob-al visibility and institutional coherence, it also fosters rigidity, routine, and symbolic performance. The article contextualizes the Diyanet’s transnational operations within the framework of state–religion relations and Weberian bureaucratization. It contends that standardized procedures, hierarchical reporting, and short-term appointments allow for rapid and wide diffusion, but they often weaken local legitimacy and engagement, particularly within long-established diaspora communities.

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