Abstract

There are two basic paradigms in social sciences. The first of these is positivism, which is based on explanation-oriented thought; the other is the understanding/interpretive paradigm that emerged as an alternative to positivism. As a theory of meaning that finds its place in many socio-cultural fields, the hermeneutic approach is among the paradigms based on understanding/interpretation. The hermeneutic approach appears at the point of comprehending the invisible, beyond the observable. In this context, examining Mevlevi Rites in a hermeneutical context as a part of Turkish culture from a socio-cultural perspective is important in terms of revealing the meaning of the Rites. The Mevlevi order is based on the principle of unity of exictence in sufi thought and at the same time it is based on an esoteric belief system. In this sense, Mevlevism and Mevlevi Rites, which reflect the belief system mentioned, have meanings beyond the obvious. Particularly, music, which is the dominant element in the ceremony, draws attention as a character that has the capacity to direct the performance. In this direction, the performances during the ritual start with music and the continuity of the ritual is ensured by being managed with music. Therefore, in Mevlevi order, music serves as a tool that accompanies ecstasy. Every movement, every practice, and every stage, every phenomenon and every act of the Mevlevi Rites, which is an integral part of the performance, contains metaphorical meanings. In this context, in the research, which is limited to the theological dimension of the hermeneutic paradigm, the spiritual meanings of the Mevlevi rites were determined by the literature study, the documents related to the subject were examined, the descriptive analysis of the data obtained was made and the findings were revealed.