Author(s): Cevdet AVCI
Folk beliefs are religious folklore elements that fall within the scope of more than one social science branch. However, there are also historical, cultural, socio-economic and psychological aspects of folk beliefs. Accordingly, while folk beliefs have a layered structure in terms of historicity, they have a syncretic appearance in terms of content and function. In this respect, it is included in the study subjects of fields such as folk beliefs, history of religions and theology. On the other hand, folk beliefs are one of the main study areas of the folklore discipline. Along with ceremonial and traditional practices, it is possible to see the reflections of folk beliefs in folk narratives. Folk beliefs, which constitute a versatile data field in terms of social sciences, must be considered with an interdisciplinary perspective. In this context, examining the subject with the methods and approaches of folklore will contribute to understanding the socio-cultural, functional and common cultural codes of the Turkic world by removing folk beliefs from the discussions of religion / belief. In the article, some concepts and terms related to the subject were emphasized by considering folk beliefs; The issue of method and approach in social sciences has been discussed. It was concluded that the approaches of the history of religions and folklore fields on the subject should be put forward and methods of analysis should be developed depending on the structure and content of folk beliefs. Studies to be carried out in the field of folklore within this framework will make a significant contribution to the understanding and evaluation of Turkish folk beliefs.
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