The dede is centred at the very heart of Alevi Community Life. Particularly for the lay- person it would be very easy to dismiss the dede as just another religious functionary of a diverse religious movement. To do so, would be to miss the central characteristic of Alevi culture and lifestyle.
At the top of the hierarchy within any Alevi Community is the Dede. Whereas Sunni Islamic tradition follows the Seriat (Islamic law), the Alevis follow a collective form of worship surrounding the beliefs of their dergah. This collectivity is centred around Cem and is at the core of Alevi religious practice. As a religious ceremony the Cem allows worshippers to respect and reinforce the central tenants of their belief.
However unlike Western religious practices in relation to their leaders and practitioners (the clergy, etc.) the Dede is not a position which can be aspired to. This is problematic for the Alevi community as the Dede, in order to prepetuate the dergah tradition, must be able to demonstrate through their lineage, that they are descended from one of the founders of the Alevi Tradition - all of whom recognise their subordination to their founder Haci Bektas, and all of whom can trace a direct lineage to Ali. It is only those who are able to trace this lineage, who are able to take on the responsibilities of the Dede.
It is only the Dede who can perform the rituals of dergah and Cem
The responsibilities of the Dede go even further, and have a practical foundation in addition to offering moral leadership and guidance. As in all communities, disputes can often arise. It is at this practical level that the Dede becomes involved to settle the discord that may have arisen within a particular Alevi community. Again it is only the Dede who can act as arbiter of these disputes and contentions as a religious leader.
Therefore the Dede is an important functionary within the Alevi Community. The dergah and Cem and the collective act of worship plays a vital part of cementing the community together and thus confirm their collective identity. Central to this of copurse, is that without the presence and access to traditional culture and beliefs, the Alevi community becomes not only alienated from the wider society, but will over time become further removed from itself. In a world that is daily becoming increasingly rational on the one hand, but with traditional norms and values disintegrating on the other, the pivotal role of religious functionaries such as the Dede is vital to those Alevi communities who wish to pursue their religious beliefs and practices to the full within an open and democratic society.