»No matter what he is, as long as he is one of us«

Abstract

This contribution examines from a cultural-psychological perspective the conflictual relationship between Alevis and Sunnis, which is interpreted as a historical hurtful relationship. The psychosocial traces of this figuration extend to the present day of the German immigration society. They are also manifest in the identity constructions of young Alevi women. As a result of experienced or inherited violations suffered by Sunni orthodoxy and out of fear of pressure to adapt and oppression in a Sunni-Alevi interfaith marriage, especially Alevi women still maintain the group border to Sunnis through endogamy. In analyzing a group discussion with two young Alevi women using relational hermeneutics, I reconstruct how the historically founded group boundaries continue to exist in perceptions and emotions towards an imagined Alevi-Sunni interfaith marriage. Furthermore, I discuss how a cultural-psychological perspective can complement the discussion on the function of morality and moral communication in intergroup relations.