ABSTRACT
This chapter focuses on what young students learnt in sohbet sessions they encountered in the dorms. It discusses the ways in which the dormitory context offered students their first introduction into the intricacies of how to “live” Islam. The chapter is based on ethnographic fieldwork among university students in Ankara. It provides a brief review of key educational policies that began with the Republican state and culminated with the penetration of a new Islamic movement within Turkey’s education sector. The chapter also discusses the economics and politics of boarding in dormitories run by the cemaat and explores the nature of the sohbet sessions and discourses that took place in the dorms. It attempts to contextualize the impact of the religious training and the spreading influence of Islam through schools established in Kazakhstan and Kyrgystan. The chapter examines Turkish initiatives in the setting up of educational programs in Kazakhstan.
