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The Seven Slavic Saints: Cult, Modern Myth and Dramaturgical Interpretation in Bulgarian Culture (1869–1989) The paper is devoted to the literary representations of the Seven Slavic Saints in modern Bulgarian culture. The subject of analysis is dramaturgical interpretations of the saints (separately and together as a group) in 1868–1989, which reveal the specific literary-historical and socio-political conditions for the formation of a modern myth of the Holy Brothers Cyril and Methodius and their disciples in Bulgarian national thinking. The focus is on the process of the image transformation, mythologizing, ideologizing and politicizing. It is showed how the Bulgarian dramatical works and theatrical productions contribute to the multi-layered images of the saints and their work, i.e. the composition of the Slavic alphabet. Siedmiu Świętych Mężów. Kult, nowoczesny mit i interpretacje dramatyczne w kulturze bułgarskiej (1869–1989) Artykuł poświęcony jest literackim reprezentacjom Siedmiu Świętych Mężów w nowoczesnej kulturze bułgarskiej. Przedmiotem analizy są dramaturgiczne interpretacje świętych (osobno i razem jako grupy) z okresu 1868–1989, które ujawniają specyficzne literacko-historyczne i społeczno-polityczne warunki kształtowania się nowoczesnego mitu świętych braci Cyryla i Metodego oraz ich uczniów w bułgarskiej narracji narodowej. W centrum uwagi są procesy transformacji, mitologizacji, ideologizacji i polityzacji ich obrazów. W artykule zostało pokazane, w jaki sposób bułgarskie utwory dramatyczne i produkcje teatralne przyczyniają się do rozwijania wielowarstwowego wizerunku świętych i ich dzieła, tj. alfabetu słowiańskiego.

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Başat Bulgar kültüründe geçmiş zaman dilimi, bugün ve gelecek zaman dilimlerinden çok daha etkin rol oynar. Osmanlı Devleti’nin, İkinci Bulgar İmparatorluğu’nu fethederek Bulgarlar üzerinde 1393-1878 yılları arasında kurduğu egemenlik dönemi, başat Bulgar kültüründe “Türk köleliği” dönemi olarak damgalanır. Bu damga, 19. yüzyılda inşa edilerek günümüze kadar sürdürülür. Bulgar kültüründe geçmişe yönelik “Türk köleliği” damgası; günümüzde politika, diplomasi, resmi ve resmi olmayan eğitim, hukuk, din, tören ve bayramlar, folklor, film, sanat, edebiyat, tarih, geleneksel medya, sosyal medya, protesto meydanları vs. gibi birçok kurumsal ve gündelik alanı kuşatmış durumdadır. Ancak bu damga, belirsiz bir tarihsel anlatıya dayandırılır ve oryantalist bir çerçevede biçimlenir. Diğer yandan, günümüzde söz konusu damgayla ilgili Bulgarlar tarafından yöneltilen kısmi eleştiriler de mevcuttur. Makale, Bulgarlar üzerindeki Osmanlı Devleti egemenliği dönemine ilişkin “Türk köleliği” damgasının hangi toplumsal-kültürel koşullarda nasıl inşa edildiği ve günümüzde hangi alanlarda nasıl yeniden üretildiğiyle ilgili sosyolojik bir çözümlemeden oluşur. Konu, büyük ölçüde özgün Bulgarca kaynaklardan elde edilen veriler üzerinden araştırıldı. Çözümlemenin kuramsal boyutunda, Said’in oryantalizm, Goffman’ın damga, Bourdieu’nun alan, Foucault’nun sorunsallaştırma ve Parsons’ın işlev kavramlarından yararlanılmaktadır. Türkçe sosyolojik yazında Bulgar kültürüyle ilgili araştırmaların sayısı yok denecek kadar azdır. Bu nedenle makale, Türkçe sosyolojik yazına bir katkı sağlamayı da amaçlar.

Copyright of Culture Context / Konteksty Kultury is the property of Jagiellonian University Press and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

The article analyzes Bulgarian chrononyms associated with selected festive periods characteristic of the spring annual cycle (wolf days, the two weeks leading up to Lent, the first week of Lent). Among the excerpted names, both synthetic and analytical structures were attested, and within them – phonetic (perpetuating characteristic features of Bulgarian dialects) and word-formative variants. In terms of motivation, the studied chrononyms form two basic models: 1) names referring to folk beliefs associated with a given period; 2) names evoking a ritual context.

A review of: Nedkova, Emilia & Niya Peneva, eds. Touches of the Bulgarian National Character. Angel Kanchev University of Ruse Press, 2022. ISBN: 978-954-712-887-3, 174 pp. [original title in Bulgarian: Недкова, Емилия & Ния Пенева, съст. Щрихи от българския национален характер. Русе: Русенски университет „Ангел Кънчев“, 2022.]

A review of two monographs on Bulgarian literature of the 1920s and 1930s: Stoyanova, Nadezhda. Adornments and Grimaces. Fashion and Modernity in Bulgarian Literature of the 1920s and 1930s. Sofia: Paradigma, 2022, 378 pp. [In Bulgarian: Стоянова, Надежда. Украси и гримаси. Мода и модерност в българската литература от 20-те и 30-те години на ХХ век. София: Парадигма, 2022.]; Ruseva, Maria. Poetics of the Road in Bulgarian Literature of the 1920s and 1930s. Sofia University Press, 2022, 348 pp. [In Bulgarian: Русева, Мария. Поетика на пътя в българската литература от 20-те и 30-те години на ХХ век. София: УИ Св. Климент Охридски, 2022.] The review analyzes the literary motives and themes, as well as theoretizations of Modernity common for both studies. It argues that however the authors focus on the dramatic context of the interwar period and questions on identity and self-expression, they propose different ways out of traumatic experieces, as well as paths to self-realization through fashion or travel.

Literature and Memory: A review of: Dushkova, Mira, ed. The Literary Ruse. Vol. 1: Ruse – A City of the Word. A Collection of Articles and Studies. Shumen: Bishop Konstantin Preslavsky University Press, 2022, 170 pp. ISBN 978-619-201-551-0; Bratanova, Zvezdelina, ed. The Literary Ruse. Vol. 2: Literary Surveys. Shumen: Bishop Konstantin Preslavsky University Press, 2022, 196 pp. ISBN 978-619-201-554-1. [In Bulgarian: Душкова, Мира, съст. Литературният Русе. Том 1: Русе – град на словото. Сборник със статии и студии. Шумен: УИ Епископ Константин Преславски, 2022; Братанова, Звезделина, съст. Литературният Русе. Том 2: Литературни анкети. Шумен: УИ Епископ Константин Преславски, 2022.]

The aim of the paper is an attempt to problematise the concept of Bulgarian Orthodox identity in relation to the national "great narrative" and the role of literature and literary studies, and as a result, to go beyond the traditional research approach to the notion of Bulgarian religiosity. Two observations serve as a starting point: 1) the idea of religion / religiosity is one of the main themes of the discourse of the national elite; 2) Bulgarians commonly declare attachment to the Orthodox tradition, but the percentage of believers is low; therefore, the sociological conceptualisations based on the famous phrase "believing without belonging" (G. Davie) seem accurate. The paper raises the question of the ideological foundations of perceiving and explaining religious phenomena in Bulgaria, and the emphasis is on the local meaning of the religious and its crypto-theological entanglements as captured and manifested in local literary studies. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The Dead Female Body and Necropolitics. The Topos of a Walled-up Woman in Bulgarian Modernist Plays In Bulgarian folk tradition, the topos of a woman entombed in a wall is a remnant of a dead myth that is still commemorated in the canon of that culture. In the 19th and 20th centuries, it became the subject of creative recycling in literature and visual arts. The article presents the results of my research on the topos of a walled-up woman in four plays written in the first four decades of the 20th century by Petko Todorov (Зидари), Anton Strashimirov (На безкръстните гробове), Ana Karima (Яниният извор), and Stilyan Chilingirov (Мост на река Струма). The analysis focuses on the issue of the protagonists assigning meaning (determined by cultural gender) to women’s remains “acquired” through the ritual of immurement. It also discusses the ways in which authors employed this “remnant” of national/folk archaic material, which continued to raise moral concern throughout the 20th century and in the 21st century may prove an interesting topic for post-humanist reflection. Martwe kobiece ciało i nekropolityka. Topos wmurowanej kobiety w bułgarskich sztukach modernistycznych W bułgarskiej tradycji ludowej topos wmurowanej kobiety jest pozostałością martwego mitu, który nadal jest upamiętniany w kanonie tej kultury. W XIX i XX wieku stał się on przedmiotem twórczego recyklingu w literaturze i sztukach wizualnych. Artykuł prezentuje wyniki moich badań nad toposem wmurowanej kobiety w czterech sztukach napisanych w pierwszych czterech dekadach XX wieku przez Petko Todorova (Зидари), Antona Strashimirowa (На безкръстните гробове), Any Karimy (Яниният извор) oraz Stilyana Chilingirova (Мост на река Струма). W centrum uwagi stawiam kwestię zdeterminowanego przez płeć kulturową znaczenia, jakie bohaterowie nadają szczątkom kobiecym pozyskanym w wyniku rytuału wmurowania. Omawiam także sposoby, jakimi autorzy wykorzystali tę „pozostałość” narodowej/ludowej archaiczności, która przez cały XX wiek budziła moralny niepokój, a w XXI wieku może okazać się ważnym tematem refleksji post-humanistycznej.

The aim of this study is to trace the way in which the image of Saint Clement of Ohrid is built in the Bulgarian prose of the interwar period, assuming that this time was crucial for the establishment of the place of the saint in the Bulgarian cultural memory. The meanings related to a certain notion of educator/enlightener and patron are the subject of reflection, and the referring point is the role of medieval history as a model and the issue of secularization in the sense of the differentiation of social spheres. First, the plot line of the story is considered in the diachronic and synchronous plan, in order to pay special attention to the meeting of the saint with Tzar Simeon. The thesis is that the interpretation of this episode in the context of the socio-political situation in Bulgaria during the interwar period, but also the National Revival cultural matrix can contribute to the discussion of the specific understanding of the relationship between spiritual and secular power in the Bulgarian context. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

On a World Immersed in Modality. A review of: Siedlecka, Sylwia. Złote piachy [Golden Dusts]. Wołowiec: Czarne, 2019. The author presents an overview of the separate texts in Siedlecka’s book on post-communist Bulgaria. While stating that the texts belong to nonfiction, the review questions the critical definitions of those texts as reports, suggesting further discussions on their genre.

Copyright of Slavia Meridionalis is the property of Polish Academy of Sciences, Institute of Slavic Studies and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

This article raises the question of functioning of the Biblical narrative in modern literature in the context of the local/individual experience of faith and the epistemological and existential question of truth. The focus is on two novels by the Bulgarian writer Teodora Dimova (born in 1960): Марма Мариам [Marma, Mariam, 2010] and Първият рожден ден [The First Birthday, 2016]. This case is particularly interesting because the Biblical story about Jesus has not been used here in order to create a parody or blasphemy, which could be expected as far as the postmodern de-contextualisation and re-evaluation of tradition are concerned, but to offer both an aesthetically original and theologically orthodox vision of the Christian God. So how to paraphrase the Biblical story and remain orthodox? How to actualize the existential potential of the Bible and achieve novelty? The analysis is conducted in the perspective of Paul Ricoeur’s existential hermeneutics and phenomenology of memory, especially his concepts of testimony and mimesis, with regard to the question of the reception of Biblical paraphrases in (Bulgarian) modern culture.

The article poses a research question, important not only in the studies on (neo-)gnosticism, concerning the relationship between the gnostic strategies of interpreting the world (and especially its typical rules of classifying people, based on the externalization of evil) and the tendency to construct a figure of “hylic” as a person embodying evil, and thus “unworthy of life”. In this context, the author is interested in the dynamics of the relationship between the religious worldview declared by the authors, the one they actually profess, and their attitude towards the so-called Jewish question. Bulgarian material, which is a case of a particular kind of aporia, cognitive dissonances emerging due to tension between the pressure of cultural stereotypes, pragmatic (economic), religious, parareligious and humanistic thinking, has been analyzed on the basis of post-secular thought. The investigator posits that Bulgarian culture, despite the “economic” anti-Semitism that exists within it, did not produce a figure of a Jew the hylic that absorbs all evil and that could be inscribed (as is the case in popular Polish culture, among others) in every troublesome local political and symbolic context.

Bustling About and the Pilgrim’s Way in Mihail Madjarov’s Memoir This article is devoted to reflection on Mihail Madjarov’s memoir prose, На Божи Гроб преди шестдесет години и днес (спомени, пътни бележки и впечатления) (To the tomb of Jesus sixty years ago and today (memoirs, travel notes and impressions), 1929), which is primarily dedicated to the author’s childhood pilgrimage to Jerusalem. In the article, I use the philosophical category of ‘bustling about’ (in Polish: krzątactwo), which was proposed by Jolanta Brach-Czaina, as a category that supports analysis of the strategies, described by Madjarov, of pilgrims experiencing everyday life in the three phases of their peregrination (according to Victor Turner’s classification). The analysis of the material takes into consideration the Ottoman historical context in connection with research on the testimonies of nineteenth-century Bulgarian hadjis. Krzątactwo i droga pielgrzyma we wspomnieniach Michaiła Madżarowa Artykuł poświęcony jest refleksji nad prozą wspomnieniową Michaiła Madżarowa На Божи Гроб преди шестдесет години и днес (спомени, пътни бележки и впечатления) (Do Grobu Jezusa przed sześćdziesięcioma laty i dziś (wspomnienia, notatki z podróży i wrażenia), 1929), poświęconą głównie odbytej przez autora w dzieciństwie pielgrzymce do Jerozolimy. W artykule posługuję się zaproponowaną przez Jolantę Brach-Czainę filozoficzną kategorią krzątactwa jako kategorią wspomagającą analizę opisanych przez autora strategii doświadczania codzienności przez pielgrzymów w trzech fazach ich peregrynacji (według klasyfikacji Turnera). Materiał analizowany jest z uwzględnieniem osmańskiego kontekstu historycznego, w powiązaniu z badaniami nad świadectwami bułgarskich dziewiętnastowiecznych hadżijów.

Tis article raises the question of functioning of the Biblical narrative in modern literature in the context of the local/individual experience of faith and the epistemological and existential question of truth. Te focus is on two novels by the Bulgarian writer Teodora Dimova (born in 1960): Марма Мариам [Marma, Mariam, 2010] and Първият рожден ден [Te First Birthday, 2016]. Tis case is particularly interesting because the Biblical story about Jesus has not been used here in order to create a parody or blasphemy, which could be expected as far as the postmodern de-contextualisation and re-evaluation of tradition are concerned, but to ofer both an aesthetically original and theologically orthodox vision of the Christian God. So how to paraphrase the Biblical story and remain orthodox? How to actualize the existential potential of the Bible and achieve novelty? Te analysis is conducted in the perspective of Paul Ricoeur’s existential hermeneutics and phenomenology of memory, especially his concepts of testimony and mimesis,with regard to the question of the reception of Biblical paraphrases in (Bulgarian) modern culture. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Animation, both as an art form and a storytelling medium, offers a variety of creative avenues for self-expression. The animator's cultural background, depending on the individual, can have a strong influence on their practice, which can be elicited from their stylistic choices as well as their approach to storytelling and technique. This article discusses how an autoethnographic reflection into animation practice, in particular the early stage of idea formation, has uncovered questions about cultural identity and sense of belonging when living abroad. It explores the role of nostalgia in the creative process and questions whether the feeling of homesickness can influence ideas and act as a spur to create work inspired by the animator's culture and heritage. The article discusses three short animations produced by the lead author and the thought process that led to the decision to base them on Bulgarian folklore, music and literature while living in the United Kingdom. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A number of articles and research papers have been published about the bagpipe and the art of bagpiping, but till today the mystery of this instrument has not been fully revealed. For Bulgaria, the bagpipe embodies the specifically national and the traditional. The presence of the instrument in the daily life, inevitably results in reminiscences in various cultural domains. One of the prominent examples about the Bulgarian worldview of the bagpipe as a voice of the Bulgarian soul in the context of the national psychology, is the documentary "Is the bagpipe an instrument?" directed by Asen Shopov. Starting with the first steps of the creation of the Bulgarian national culture in the period of the Revival, the image of the bagpiper appears as a mandatory part of the image of the Bulgarian. This can be traced in the watercolor paintings, in which the ethnographer, historian and geographer Felix Kanitz illustrates his journals about Bulgaria in the mid-XIX century, in the lithographs of the Viennaeducated Nikolay Pavlovich, and in the works of the artist Anton Mitov. In the Bulgarian cultural history as an "absolute classic" shines the remarkable painting of Nikola Obrazopisov "Village horo in Samokov region", where in the center is depicted a local bagpiper. The bagpiper image appears even without the instrument in the most famous work of Ivan Markvichka - "Ratcheniza". The bagpiper reminiscences appear in various works in fine arts, poetry, literary prose. The depictions of the effect of the bagpiping art in the "Windmill" by Elin Pelin, in the story "Enemies" or in the novel "The harvester" by Jordan Jovkov even today stun with the profound understanding of the Bulgarian national psychology. There are no bagpipers depicted on church walls before XV century. Maybe because of the bagpipe sound vital energy and the feeling of heathen and heretic it carries, it does not fit into the Christian doctrine of humility. What exactly is in the bagpipe that presents so many questions? On a first sight, it is a simple instrument, that however, in fact is a reduction of the most complicated instrument - the organ. If this question can be considered esoterically and by all means we try to find a hidden message, we could make the surprising assumption, that the bagpipe is the only instrument imitating the human voice-producing apparatus. If we also look for other hidden messages, we can notice that for thousands of years, the bagpipe construction has not changed, that the bagpiper continues to hug the bag close to his heart, that the making of the bagpipe is similar to a ritual sacrifice, that the sound of the bagpipe continues to excite. In the contemporary daily life, for the Bulgarians the stylized image of the bagpipe in its various demonstrations, is not just a part of the archaic folklore heritage, but bonding and socializing phenomenon. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copyright of Slavia Meridionalis is the property of Polish Academy of Sciences, Institute of Slavic Studies and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

The authors of this article offer a historical contextualization of the conceptualisation of aviation in the works of Bulgarian poet Elisaveta Bagriana; they devote special attention to its role in Bulgarian literature and culture of the 1930s to 1950s. Central to the interpretation of the theme of aviation in the works of Bagriana are: 1) the glorification of aviation in the service of political conjuncture (in the 1938 poem dedicated to the royal son-aviator, and in the 1953 Airplane to Moscow); and: 2) a conceptualisation of aviation in accordance with contemporary European philosophical and cultural ideas (opposing technical means of communication to the forces of nature; pleas for airplanes as a means of overcoming time, space and human boundaries to achieve freedom from gravity and all earthly connections). [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article poses a research question, important not only in the studies on (neo-)gnosticism, concerning the relationship between the gnostic strategies of interpreting the world (and especially its typical rules of classifying people, based on the externalization of evil) and the tendency to construct a figure of “hylic” as a person embodying evil, and thus “unworthy of life”. In this context, the author is interested in the dynamics of the relationship between the religious worldview declared by the authors, the one they actually profess, and their attitude towards the so-called Jewish question. Bulgarian material, which is a case of a particular kind of aporia, cognitive dissonances emerging due to tension between the pressure of cultural stereotypes, pragmatic (economic), religious, parareligious and humanistic thinking, has been analyzed on the basis of post-secular thought. The investigator posits that Bulgarian culture, despite the “economic” anti-Semitism that exists within it, did not produce a figure of a Jew the hylic that absorbs all evil and that could be inscribed (as is the case in popular Polish culture, among others) in every troublesome local political and symbolic context. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The paper raises the question of functioning of Biblical tradition in modern culture in the perspective of the history of ideas. Referring to the postsecular interpretation of the Modernity, the research is based on Biblical paraphrases in Bulgarian literature of the interwar period, which are perceived as a testimony of the search for a worldview. The aim is to show how a situation of ideological turmoil accompanied by experiences of social crisis leads to utilizing a Gnostic worldview. The phenomenon is seen in a broader context as an illustration of transmission of ideas within the Western culture and religious thought. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Bulgarian Reformation? On hybridization of ideas in the process of modernization of culture The paper raises the question of the Bulgarian notion of Reformation both as a particular historical event and its local reinterpretations and adaptations. The focus is on the history of the concepts of “Reformation” and “Protestant propaganda” in Bulgarian culture as well as on the cultural influences of the protestant thought in nineteenth-century Bulgaria. Particular interest is given to the Bulgarian scientific discourse, especially the Marxist one, as a dominant in the Bulgarian historiography. The paper studies in depth the case of Todor Ikonomov (1835–1892), a Bulgarian enlightener involved in religious and Church matters during the National Revival, perceived as an example of meaningful hybridization of ideas of Protestant and Enlightenment origins. The main question is about the relation between secular and religious power, and thus between religion and nation, as a sign of the Modern thinking. Bułgarska reformacja? O hybrydyzacji idei w procesie modernizacji kultury W artykule podjęto problem bułgarskiego rozumienia reformacji zarówno w sensie wydarzenia historycznego, jak i jego lokalnych reprezentacji i adaptacji. Przedmiotem uwagi jest historia pojęć „reformacja” i „propaganda protestancka” w kulturze bułgarskiej, jak również wpływy myśli protestanckiej w Bułgarii w XIX wieku. Szczególne miejsce poświęcono bułgarskiemu dyskursowi naukowemu, zwłaszcza marksistowskiemu jako dominującemu w bułgarskiej historiografii. Szczegółowo przeanalizowano przypadek Todora Ikonomowa (1835–1892), bułgarskiego działacza na rzecz oświecenia narodu, który w okresie odrodzenia zaangażowany był w sprawy religijne i kościelne. Jego poglądy zostają uznane za przykład znaczącej hybrydyzacji idei o protestanckiej i oświeceniowej proweniencji. Stawiane w konkluzji pytanie dotyczy relacji między władzą świecką i religijną, a także – między religią a narodem – jako wyrazem myślenia nowoczesnego.

The article engages with the philosophical and theological notion of theodicy as formulated by Kalin Yanakiev in Дебат върху теодицеята (A Debate on Theodicy), an essay which appeared in Yanakiev’s book Философски опити върху самотата и надеждата (Philosophical Essays on Solitude and Hope,2008). The article uses the category of apocryphalness to analyse the ideas sparked off in Yanakiev’s work by a passage from Dostoevsky’s The Brothers Karamazov, along with a series of Yanakiev’ s philosophical and poetic images which are interpreted in the biblical and philosophical context. The article also touches on the relationships between Yanakiev’s ideas and Orthodox Christian theodicy.

Bulgarian medieval Philosophy and Natural Sciences were of great significance for the development of the natural sciences of the Orthodox Slavs and in the Balkan countries: Serbia, Russia, Wallachia and Moldova. After the Ottoman conquest of Bulgaria, many valuable Bulga¬rian manuscripts were taken out of the country and many Bulgarian scho¬lars, grammarians and clerics were sent into exile. This article presents the spread of the natural sciences in the Principalities of Wallachia and Moldova by the preserved manuscripts and translations of Greek and Bulgarian works, such as “Physiologus”, “Hexaemeron” by Severianus of Cabala, Symeon’s “Miscellany”, (“Izbornik Svyatoslava” 1073), Erotapokriseis, etc.

Book Review: Lubańska Magdalena, Muslims and Christians in the Bulgarian Rhodopes. Studies on Religious (Anti)Syncretism "Muslims and Christians in the Bulgarian Rhodopes. Studies on Religious (Anti)Syncretism", a book by Magdalena Lubańska is a summary of her research carried out for many years among the Christian Orthodox and Muslim Pomaks in Rhodope mountains of Bulgaria. There Lubańska conducted in-depth interviews and carried out ethnographic observation about the knowledge regarding neighbours of different religion, their beliefs and religious practices. Recenzja książki: Lubańska Magdalena, Muslims and Christians in the Bulgarian Rhodopes. Studies on Religious (Anti)Syncretism Książka Magdaleny Lubańskiej jest podsumowaniem jej badań prowadzonych od wielu lat wśród prawosławnych oraz muzułmanów w Rodopach, w Bułgarii. Lubańska przeprowadziła pogłębione wywiady i obserwację etnograficzną, dotyczącą sąsiadowania mieszkańców różnych religii, ich wierzeń i praktyk religijnych.

Whose is this city? The conquest of Constantinople and the problematic Ottoman legacy in Bulgarian culture Ottoman legacy is curious topic in Bulgarian cultural studies. Despite the overall quest for prestigious legacies and heritages (Antique, Thracian, even Byzantine, not to mention Slav and Proto-Bulgarian), it is still neglected and even rejected. Mass-consciousness admits some traces and influences in the field of material culture, in cuisine, rarely in traditional costumes and even more rarely in customs. Ottoman legacy is often seen as ‘legacy of shame’ from witch modern Bulgarians should deliberate themselves. The paper deals with one particular Bulgarian image of the key event in the interrelations between Balkan peoples and Ottomans – the conquest of Constantinople (1453). Starting from the problematic differentiations between the “own” and “alien” the paper presents one odd dramatic work on that topic, written in verses by Svetoslav Milarov in 1871–1873 and published in full text in 1883. The analysis puts this work in the context of other mythical plots such as the Fall of Bulgarian Kingdom and different perspectives toward it. Czyje jest to miasto? Podbój Konstantynopola i problematyczne osmańskie dziedzictwo w kulturze bułgarskiej Dziedzictwo osmańskie stawia interesujące wyzwania przed bułgarskimi badaczami kultury. W nurcie powszechnych dążeń do wskazywania korzeni nobilitujących Bułgarów (antyk, Tracja, Bizancjum, nie wspominając o Słowianach i Protobułgarach) dziedzictwo osmańskie jest systematycznie pomijane czy wręcz kwestionowane. Potoczna świadomość zbiorowa uznaje obecność osmańskich wpływów i śladów w kulturze materialnej, w kuchni, rzadziej w obyczajach. Dziedzictwo osmańskie uznawane jest zwykle za „wstydliwe”, a zatem za takie, od którego Bułgarzy winni się uwolnić. Autor analizuje różne teksty dotyczące kluczowego wydarzenia w stosunkach między Bułgarami i innymi narodami bałkańskimi a Otomanami – zdobycia Konstantynopola (1453). Punktem wyjścia jest refleksja na temat zmienności kategorii „swoje” i „obce”, zwłaszcza w odniesieniu do najważniejszego miasta Półwyspu Bałkańskiego. Podobną dynamikę można dostrzec w greckich pieśniach ludowych na temat wspomnianego wydarzenia, ciekawy jest też sposób jego przedstawienia w bułgarskim folklorze (pieśni i podania ludowe). Szczególną uwagę poświęcono osobliwym, mało znanym dramatom i wierszom Swetosława Miłarowa z lat 1871–1873, w całości opublikowanym w 1883 roku. Autor artykułu sytuuje te utwory w kontekście innych mitologii (zwłaszcza dotyczących upadku pierwszego państwa bułgarskiego) z różnych perspektyw, zestawia je też z analogicznymi konstrukcjami narodowych mitologii Serbów oraz innych bałkańskich narodów chrześcijańskich.

Contemporarity of history: Ottoman cultural heritage and its Bulgarian perception (from the Balkan perspective) The article offers an analysis of subsequent phases of Bulgarian historiography and the way in which they have portrayed the nation’s Ottoman past and the impact it had on the history of Bulgarians. The author seeks to address the question of the influence historical stereotypes have on modern perceptions of the Ottoman heritage. At the dawn of Bulgarian historiography, the Ottoman past was seen through the prism of the new science’s nation-forming tasks and thus interpreted as a “historical misfortune,” a discontinuity, a rupture in the natural process of Bulgarians’ national development, a traumatising element in historical memory. The period itself was in turn referred to as the “Turkish slavery” or “Ottoman yoke.” Narratives of the deeds of the national heroes who gave their lives for freedom thus became the foundation of national pride. This trend prevailed until after World War II. It was only in the 1960s, with the development of Ottoman studies as a scholarly discipline and the emergence of professional researchers willing to draw on the immense Ottoman archives, that these stereotypes began to be questioned. So much so that in the 1970s the term “Turkish slavery” was even abandoned. At the beginning of 21st century, the tension between so-called “traditional historiography” of “older” generations of historians and postmodern approach of “younger” innovators fuelled the “backstage” dispute on the present situation and perspectives in further roads of history as a science. Współczesność historii. Bułgarskie obrazy osmańskiego dziedzictwa kulturowego (z perspektywy bałkańskiej) Artykuł poświęcony jest analizie poszczególnych etapów bułgarskiej historiografii, w której uobecnia się przeszłość osmańska i jej wpływ na dzieje Bułgarów. Autorka szuka odpowiedzi na pytanie, w jakim stopniu stereotypy historyczne wpływają na współczesny odbiór dziedzictwa osmańskiego. W okresie narodzin bułgarskich nauk historycznych przeszłość osmańska była postrzegana w świetle zadań narodowotwórczych i analizowana jako „zły los historyczny”, naruszenie ciągłości, przerwanie naturalnego rozwoju historycznego Bułgarów, naznaczające traumą pamięć historyczną. Sam okres określano za pomocą terminów „niewola turecka”, „jarzmo osmańskie”. W związku z tym narracje na temat czynów bohaterów narodowych, którzy poświęcili życie za wyzwolenie, stawały się podłożem narodowej dumy. Ta tendencja utrzymywała się również po drugiej wojnie światowej. Dopiero w latach siedemdziesiątych XX wieku, wraz z rozwojem osmanistyki jako dyscypliny naukowej i wykształceniem profesjonalnych badaczy sięgających do ogromnych zasobów archiwów osmańskich, zaczęto podważać stereotypy na temat przeszłości, do tego stopnia, że w latach dziewięćdziesiątych XX wieku doszło wręcz do odrzucenia terminu „niewola turecka”. W początkach XXI wieku napięcie między tak zwaną „historiografią tradycyjną”, uprawianą przez „stare” pokolenia historyków, a postmodernistycznym podejściem „młodych” historyków nowatorów stało się podłożem niejawnego sporu na temat obecnej sytuacji i dalszych perspektyw nauk historycznych.

The Contuinity and Discontinuity. The Question of Territorialism and Double Identity from the Perspective of 20th Century Macedonia The sense of territorial identity gains force whenever political means of solving the Macedonian Question, a repugnant legacy of the Eastern issue, become scarce. This attitude is reflected in the articles published by the representatives of the Macedonian diaspora in journals of its different centres. Due to space constraints I decided to present only (and at least) the views of Krste Misirkov, a very complex figure indeed, who in contemporary Macedonia belongs to the undisputable national pantheon. His opinions on the Macedonian Question were far from explicit and his statements delivered at different stages of his life do not fit into a cohesive whole as the national purists would want it. However, it is difficult to imagine a better mirror for “Macedonian matters” in the 20th century and a more comprehensive picture of the twisted paths that the Macedonian Slavs took to reach the concept of ‘Macedonian’ understood as an ethnos, not only in its territorial aspect. A bond with the territory has never disappeared from Macedonian self-perception. Only the constant presence of territorial identity explains the assimilation of the ancient heritage, which is in fact heritage of a territory, into the Macedonian national canon. It is further confirmed by the most recent Macedonian history textbooks for high school students where the ancient tradition is treated as a part of their own heritage. While the bond with the territory is still an integral part of the Macedonian elite’s consciousness, the question of double identity remains less obvious. In Misirkov’s time double identity, expressed through various ethnic configurations, on the one hand shaped Macedonian self-identity and on the other proved the distinctiveness of a ‘Macedonian’ at that time (i.e. in the first half of the 20th century) from a ‘Serb’ in Serbia proper and a ‘Bulgarian’ in Bulgaria proper, thus creating favourable conditions for the emergence of separatist understanding of Macedonianness, allowing even non-Slavs to be Macedonians. Macedonianness began to be founded on Slavicness relatively late and this dependence was propagated quite naturally mainly by Slavophile circles (the circle of Nace Dimov) and by the communists in the 1920’s and 1930’s. However, in the first half of the 20th century there still existed alternatives, such as, for instance, the above-described project of Krste Misirkov. The most evident connection between the term ‘Macedonian’ and Slavicness crystallised in Tito’s post-war Macedonia, de facto undermining the notion of double identity in the sense in which it had functioned in the first half of the 20th century. Ciągłość i jej brak. Kwestia terytorializmu i podwójnej tożsamości z perspektywy macedońskiej Poczucie tożsamości terytorialnej odzywa się ze szczególną siłą w sytuacjach, kiedy wyczerpują się polityczne możliwości rozwiązania problemu macedońskiego, jako niedobrego spadku po kwestii wschodniej. Potwierdzają to wypowiedzi przedstawicieli macedońskiej diaspory publikowane na łamach czasopism, wychodzących w różnych miejscach jej skupisk. Zdecydowałam się na przedstawienie jedynie (i aż) poglądów Krste Misirkova, należącego w dzisiejszej Macedonii do niekwestionowanego panteonu narodowego, w istocie postaci wielce skomplikowanej. Jego poglądy w kwestii macedońskiej były dalekie od jednoznaczności, a wypowiedzi wygłaszane na różnych etapach życia nie układają się w całość, jakiej chcieliby narodowi puryści, natomiast trudno sobie wyobrazić lepsze zwierciadło „spraw macedońskich” w XX wieku i pełniejszy obraz krętych dróg, jakimi macedońscy Słowianie dochodzili do pojęcia „Macedończyk” rozumianego jako éthnie, a nie tylko terytorialnie. Więź z terytorium nigdy nie zniknęła z macedońskiego myślenia o sobie samych. Jedynie stałą obecnością tożsamości terytorialnej można wytłumaczyć asymilację dziedzictwa antycznego, czyli faktycznie dziedzictwa terytorium, do macedońskiego kanonu narodowego. Potwierdzają to najnowsze macedońskie podręczniki do nauki historii dla szkół średnich, w których tradycja antyczna jest traktowana jako część tradycji własnej. O ile jednak więź z terytorium jest nadal integralną częścią świadomości macedońskich elit, to zupełnie inaczej wygląda kwestia podwójnej tożsamości. W czasach Misirkova podwójna tożsamość, wyrażająca się poprzez różne etniczne konfiguracje, z jednej strony kształtowała macedońską tożsamość własną, z drugiej zaś to dzięki niej pojęcie „Macedończyk” w tym czasie (tzn. w pierwszej połowie wieku XX) potwierdzało swoją odrębność od Serba z Serbii właściwej i od Bułgara z Bułgarii właściwej i tym samym sprzyjało kształtowaniu się separatystycznego rozumienia macedońskości. Ten sposób widzenia umożliwiał bycie Macedończykiem także nie-Słowianom. Oparcie pojęcia macedońskości o słowiańskość nastąpiło stosunkowo późno i było propagowane w sposób naturalny głównie przez środowiska słowianofilskie (petersburski krąg Nace Dimova), ale w latach dwudziestych i trzydziestych XX w. także przez środowiska komunistyczne. Jednak w pierwszej połowie XX wieku miało wciąż alternatywne propozycje, jak chociażby omówiony przeze mnie projekt K. Misirkova. Najwyrazistsze powiązanie pojęcia „Macedończyk” ze słowiańskością nastąpiło w powojennej Macedonii czasów Josipa Broz Tity i w istocie podważyło pojęcie podwójnej tożsamości, w tym sensie w jakim funkcjonowała ona w okresie wcześniejszym, tzn. w pierwszej połowie wieku XX.

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“Playing catch up”. The notion of needing to accelerate a country’s progress towards a civilised paradise – the Bulgarian version (a proposed entry for a dictionary of peregrinating ideas) This paper outlines the main stages in the process through which the notion of “needing to catch up” (a belief that the country was in need of accelerated development) became incorporated into the idea of Bulgarian national identity. Since the mid-19th century, Bulgarians have tended to rely on the notion of “needing to catch up” as a way of conceptualising their place among “the civilised nations,” a concept they regard with varying degrees of desirability. I use the concept of “needing to catch up” in the sense of a culturally and politically functional standard or template, which nonetheless cannot function as an independent concept since it belongs to different systems of ideas with their various economic, geopolitical, religious, psychological and cultural aspects. Inseparably wedded to the idea of “needing to catch up” is the idea of “retardation”, which was floated in discussions on the Bulgarian condition even before the Bulgarian state emerged as a political reality. As the national movement grew in strength, these inferiority complexes morphed into their mirror image: a belief that Bulgarians were capable of catching up with Europe in terms of cultural advancement. From the early fascination with the cultural achievements of the “enlightened nation” felt by the so-called “Orthodox Enlightenment” thinkers, through a replication of the Russian discourse, this line of reasoning culminated in Marxist ideology (including propaganda between 1945 and 1989) and the post-1989 politics of persuasion. The bell may be tolling for the time-bound idea of “needing to catch up”, a notion which has exhausted its potential to excite intellectual conflict or struggle, and has very possibly resulted is a self-poisoning of the cultures which indulged in it, only to become doomed to dull, infantile repetition. "Doganianie". Idea przyspieszonego rozwoju w drodze do cywilizacyjnego raju. Wersja bułgarska Artykuł poświęcony jest prezentacji głównych etapów procesu inkorporowania w tkankę bułgarskiej idei narodowej pojęcia doganiania (przyspieszonego rozwoju), które od połowy XIX wieku pozostaje narzędziem konceptualizacji przez Bułgarów ich (różnie wartościowanego) miejsca wśród „narodów cywilizowanych”. „Doganianie” rozumiem jako kulturowo i politycz­nie funkcjonalny wzór rzeczy, który jest konceptem niesamodzielnym, należącym do różnych systemów idei, mającym swój aspekt ekonomiczny, geopolityczny, religijny, psychologiczny, kulturowy. Formuła opóźnienia, zintegrowana z ideą doganiania zagościła w dyskusjach nad statusem Bułgarów jeszcze przed zaistnieniem narodu politycznego. Wraz z rozwojem ruchu narodowego kompleksy otrzymały swój rewers w postaci wiary w możliwość zrównania poziomu cywilizacyjnego z europejskim. Ta linia rozumowania prowadziła od pierwszych fascynacji dorobkiem „oświeconych narodów” w ramach tzw. oświecenia prawosławnego, przez odwzorowywanie dyskursu rosyjskiego po myśl marksistowską (z jej propagandową dominantą w latach 1945–89) i polityki perswazyjne po 1989 roku. Wydaje się, że współcześnie mamy do czynienia z podzwonnym dla związanej z czasowością idei doganiania, która wyczerpała swój potencjał agoniczny a może nawet przyczyniła się do „samozatrucia” absorbujących ją kultur, skazujących się na infantylizację i nudę powtórzeń.

An annotated bibliography of academic works in the field of Bulgarian studies published in Poland between 1947 and 2012 The bibliography of Bulgarian studies includes publications by Polish and foreign authors published in Poland in the period 1947–2012. The main language of the works cited in the bibliography is Polish, a small portion (approx. 5%) is written in Bulgarian. The following bibliography is of a subject selective nature. It takes into account monographs – excluding continuous publications the inclusion of which would involve the planning of work over several years at least. The scope of the bibliography is limited to scientific publications which include studies on Bulgarian literature, Bulgarian cultural studies and research on Bulgarian history and society. Bibliografia adnotowana naukowych prac bułgarystycznych wydanych w Polsce w latach 1947–2012 Bibliografia bułgarystyczna obejmuje publikacje autorów polskich i zagranicznych, wydane na terenie Polski w latach 1947–2012. Podstawowym językiem przywołanych w bibliografii prac jest polski, niewielka część (ok. 5%) została napisana w języku bułgarskim. Poniższa bibliografia ma charakter przedmiotowy selektywny. Uwzględnia wydawnictwa zwarte – z pominięciem wydawnictw ciągłych, których umieszczenie wiązałoby się z pracą zaplanowaną na co najmniej kilka lat. Zakres bibliografii ograniczono do publikacji naukowych, które obejmują literaturoznawstwo bułgarskie, kulturoznawstwo bułgarskie, badania nad historią i społeczeństwem bułgarskim.

The documentary exhibition “40 Years Thracian Exhibition” will be presented in Bulgarian Cultural Institute in Paris in April 2015. The history of around 80 exhibitions will be traced-up trough documents, photos, catalogues, books, Bulgarian, foreign and private archives. This exhibition is an attempt to restore the memory for the initiative which has represented Bulgaria in its best brilliance through the decades. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copyright of Czech Ethnological Journal / Český Lid: Etnologický Casopis is the property of Akademie Ved Ceske Republiky, Etnologicky ustav, p.r.i. and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

Copyright of Slavia Meridionalis is the property of Polish Academy of Sciences, Institute of Slavic Studies and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

The article engages with the philosophical and theological notion of theodicy as formulated by Kalin Yanakiev in Дебαᵐ ϐɓъᵖᵡᵧ ᵐеᵒдицеяᵐᵅ (A Debate on Theodicy), an essay which appeared in Yanakiev's book Филᵒcᵒфcи ᵒпии ϐъᵖᵡᵧ cᵅᵐᵒᵐᵅ и hᵅдеждᵅᵐᵅ (Philosophical Essays on Solitude and Hope,2008). The article uses the category of apocryphalness to analyse the ideas sparked off in Yanakiev's work by a passage from Dostoevsky's The Brothers Karamazov, along with a series of Yanakiev' s philosophical and poetic images which are interpreted in the biblical and philosophical context. The article also touches on the relationships between Yanakiev's ideas and Orthodox Christian theodicy. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]