The Political Function of Space and the Reconstruction of Authority: An Analysis Through the Zokayd Madrasa in Nineteenth-Century Garzan

Abstract

This study examines how the dissolution of the Kurdish beylik system in the Ottoman eastern provinces during the nineteenth century produced a vacuum of authority and how this vacuum was subsequently reconfigured through spatial practices and Sufi networks centered on the Zokayd Madrasa. Rather than treating the rise of sheikhly authority as a purely religious or political development, the study analyzes how space functioned as an active medium in the reconstruction of local authority during a period of institutional transition. The central argument is that authority in post-beylik Garzan did not emerge solely through the personal charisma of religious figures, but through the strategic spatial positioning of religious institutions within existing tribal and social configurations. Drawing on Henri Lefebvre's conception of space as a socially and politically produced field, David Harvey's emphasis on spatial processes in the formation of power relations, and Doreen Massey's relational understanding of space as a node shaped by intersecting social forces, the study situates Zokayd within a broader theoretical framework concerned with the political production of space. This approach allows the article to contribute not only to regional historiography but also to discussions in the sociology of religion regarding the spatial foundations of religious authority. Methodologically, the study adopts a historical and descriptive design. It draws on Ottoman archival materials related to Garzan, local oral narratives and kilams circulating in the region, and field observations conducted in Zokayd and its surrounding villages. These sources are examined through a spatial-relational perspective that focuses on how everyday practices, institutional arrangements, and geographical positioning together shaped patterns of legitimacy and influence. The findings show that Zokayd occupied a critical position at the intersection of major tribal territories, including those of the Penc & icirc;nar & icirc;, Babos & icirc;, and Silok & icirc; groups. This location enabled the Zokayd Madrasa, founded in the late nineteenth century by Sheikh 'Abdulkahh & amacr;r under the guidance of Sheikh Abdurrahman of Nordin, to function as more than a site of religious education. In line with patterns observed in the Khalidiyya tradition, trained sheikhs were encouraged to serve in socially and geographically meaningful locations, where mediation, hospitality, dispute resolution, and the coordination of social support were integral to everyday life. Through these practices, religious authority was embedded in routine social interactions rather than imposed as a formal political structure. The study concludes that the authority associated with Zokayd represents a spatial response to the institutional rupture created by the dismantling of the beylik system. While this authority did not crystallize into a durable political institution as Ottoman centralization intensified, it reflects a historically specific mode of governance grounded in spatial relations, religious legitimacy, and local social networks. By foregrounding these dynamics, the article emphasizes the centrality of space in understanding the formation of religious authority in the Garzan region during the nineteenth century.