Bulgarian People Research Articles

What’s behind the Attitudes of the Ethnic Bulgarians in Reproductive Age towards Interethnic Marriages with Members of Bulgaria’s Turkish Community?

This piece of research investigates the determinants of ethnic Bulgarians’ attitudes towards interethnic marriages with members of Bulgaria’s Turkish community. A statistical analysis was conducted to examine the role of socio-demographic factors in shaping these attitudes. It discusses many factors but focuses on the statistically significant educational attainment, settlement type, family status, and net income. Higher levels of education do not necessarily lead to more tolerant attitudes towards interethnic marriages. Settlement type and family status emerge as influential determinants. Income is important in shaping attitudes, with the better-off households exhibiting higher approval rates to interethnic mixed marriages. These and other findings contribute to understanding interethnic attitudes and provide valuable insights for policymakers and stakeholders working towards fostering social cohesion and inclusion.

Vasil Levski, the Committees and the Trial in Sofia in the Light of an Unknown Report of March 1873 of the Special Judicial Commission

The article deals with a hitherto unknown report of the Special Judicial Commission, which in late 1872 and early 1873 conducted the trial in Sofia against Vasil Levski and his companions. The paper is preserved in the Ottoman Archives in Istanbul. The author analyses its contents with reference to three topics: 1) the creation of a revolutionary network in the Bulgarian lands and the activities of Vasil Levski, Dimitar Obshti and Angel Kanchev; 2) the organisation of the Arabakonak robbery, the search for its perpetrators, the disclosure of the revolutionary activists and the conduct of the trial; 3) an analysis of the situation in the Bulgarian lands and the internal and external political reasons that led to the creation of such a revolutionary structure. The report is a valuable document, revealing the view of the Ottoman authorities not only on the trial, but also on the social, political and structural reasons that led to the emergence and activity of a revolutionary organization aiming to achieve autonomy or complete independence for the Bulgarian people.

Research Project “Bulgaria in the Italian and Vatican Archives”: First Results of the Analysis of “Osservatore Romanoˮ’s Issues 148 and 148

The main aim of the research project “Bulgaria in the Italian and Vatican Archives” is to find information about the Russo-Turkish War (1877-1878) and the Bulgarian people in the newspaper “L’Osservatore Romano”. This paper presents a possible method to analyse the issues of the newspaper, which is used for the analysis of issues 148 and 149.

Herbal medicines for treatment of socially significant diseases in current Bulgarian society

Abstract Socially significant diseases are defined as widespread diseases causing great economic, social and demographic damage. Nowadays traditional health practices have gained increasing interest. The aim of this online survey was to establish the knowledge of a random sample of Bulgarian people about traditional medicines in order to find out: 1) the knowledge about the use of medicinal plants for some socially significant diseases; 2) the attitudes of respondents towards the medicinal plants safety; 3) the statement whether the herbs can replace conventional drugs. In present survey the most used medicinal plants reported was Crataegus monogyna Jacq., Zingiber officinale Roscoe, Allium sativum L., Valeriana officinalis L., Sambucus nigra L., Cinnamomum verum J. Presl and Curcuma longa L. Current scientific studies proved appropriate use reports of these plants. One of the reasons for the renewed interest in phytotherapy is the assumption that anything natural is safe, but there are data that herbal chemical constituents could exert toxic effects. The demographic features of our respondents revealed the importance of the level of education for the self-health care. So, more efforts should be focused on the spread of disease prevention information in low educated populations.

Формирование вооруженных сил Болгарии и их потери в боевых операциях против нацистской Германии (сентябрь 1944 – май 1945 года)

The losses of the Bulgarian armed forces during combat operations against Nazi Germany are analyzed. The paper considers the peculiarity of the transition of the Bulgarian armed forces to the side of the Allied forces in the fight against Nazi Germany in the period from September 1944 to May 1945. The problems preceding the turning point are analyzed, the characteristics of the actions of the 3rd Ukrainian Front of the Red Army on the territory of the Balkan Peninsula, to whose operational subordination the Bulgarian People’s Army was transferred, are given. The stages of the reformation of the Bulgarian troops into a single 1st Bulgarian army are investigated. The issues of interaction between Soviet and Bulgarian military formations in the framework of the implementation of common combat tasks are reflected. The participation of Bulgarian troops in alliance with the Red Army in major operations of the Great Patriotic War allowed Bulgaria to defend its pre-war territory and achieve worldwide recognition at the final stage of the defeat of Nazi Germany.

The Future of National Identity in Bulgaria

The article is grounded in a 2021 national survey exploring the modern identity of Bulgarian citizens, undertaken as part of the National and European Dimensions of the Modern Identity of Bulgarian Citizens project, supported by the National Science Fund. It delves into the shifts occurring in the national identity of Bulgarians amid increased global mobility and communication between ethnicities and nations. This trend challenges traditional notions of national borders, eroding the insularity of national cultures and fostering a sense of supranational identity. Comparing two regions within Bulgaria—the Veliko Tarnovo district, predominantly inhabited by ethnic Bulgarians, and the Kardzhali district, characterized by an ethnically diverse populace, with a notable Turkish ethnic majority—the article examines the evolution of these processes. Despite signs suggesting a weakening of national identity and the emergence of supranational identities (such as European or global citizen) alongside indications of local identity formation, the research findings reveal that, presently, national identity remains the primary and guiding factor in the self-identification of Bulgarian citizens.

Alexander Bozhinov's Creative Works as War Correspondent and Contributor to Otechestvo Magazine

World War I (1914-1918) is the third war fought from the beginning of the XXth century in which Bulgarian people participate in order to achieve their national unification. The Ministry of War of the Tsardom of Bulgaria takes good care of a better coverage of the military operations by using the advances in technique and technology at the time. As the war photographers are not always able to reach the front line and cover the key moments in the operations of the Bulgarian army, war painters are also mobilized. Among them is the father of the Bulgarian caricature Alexander Bozhinov who is also sent to the front. The present article represents his war works published in Otechestvo magazine during World War I.

THE BULGARIAN STATE POLICY REGARDING THE BULGARIAN COMMUNITIES OF THE BALKANS

The big topic for Bulgarian communities abroad is not new and various aspects of it have been the subject of research over the years. The research focuses mainly on the Bulgarian communities in Moldova, Ukraine, North America and part of the European territories. However, the Bulgarian diaspora in the Balkans has not been studied so carefully, especially in the Western Balkans. It should be pointed out that the Bulgarian communities in the Balkans, regardless of their common ethnogenesis, differ among themselves in a number of factors: ethnocultural, ethnographic, confessional and/or linguistic. For this reason, their consideration is subject to the chronological principle of classification, involving the unification of communities according to the historical period of their settlement – "old" (historical) and "new"(modern). In turn, in the historical emigration can also be distinguished several stages: until 1878. (the restoration of the Bulgarian state); between 1878 and 1944. period of development of Bulgaria as a monarchy); between 1944 and 1989. (period of the Socialist Republic). It is indicative that in the second half of the twentieth century Bulgaria developed specific policies towards the Bulgarian communities - mainly along the lines of culture. State institutions such as the committee for Bulgarians abroad were established and operated with the task of maintaining Bulgarian self-awareness. Magazines are published ( patriotism, Fatherland, etc.). The Bulgarian communities also formed the donation fund "13 centuries Bulgaria", which continues its activity today under the name "1300 years Bulgaria". After the changes of 1989. (the period of democratic changes) begins a new stage in the policy towards the Bulgarian communities. Policies in the field of Education have been introduced through special decrees: decree 103 (for the implementation of educational activity among Bulgarians abroad) and decree 228 (for the admission of citizens from the Republic of North Macedonia to the state universities of the Republic Of Bulgaria). It should be noted that this issue is the center of a project on which, at the moment, a scientific team from Unibit is working. One of the goals of this project is to study the cultural and historical heritage of the Bulgarian communities in the Balkans and to develop a digital map. This will contribute to the identification of the modern Topos inhabited by ethnic Bulgarians and through them to conceptualize on another level the question of the Balkans as synthetic zones of cultural contacts. Also, the results of the study will crystallize into the development of a cultural route that will show the dynamics of cultural processes between Southeast and Central and Western Europe, in which all Balkan communities are included.

Bulgarian ethnic model – from ethnopolitical to ethnosocial model

Modern trends of globalization of information flows, global obligations between governments and peoples, complex symbiosis between traditions and cultures make it extremely difficult to preserve the original heritage. In this regard, it is necessary to preserve the connection of social, cultural, ethnic and religious components that exist in Bulgaria, because they create the unique specificity of our model. The degree of general progress of our society depends on the level of their development. Any attempt to ignore this system of cohabitation will lead to opposition on the basis of ethnicity and religion. The Bulgarian ethnic model is not only a spiritual achievement of mutual understanding and peaceful coexistence of different ethnic communities, but also a special social ontology. The model will be studied in two guises - both an ethnopolitical and an ethnosocial model. In connection with the applied methodology a historical approach and in-depth interdisciplinary empirical research is applied. In conclusion, on the basis of narrative logic, which model creates for its essence, for its historical and cultural purposes, ethnic phenomenology is necessary, which rethinks and proclaims in a new way that this model is deep and humane. что модель is a concrete-historical creation of the Bulgarian people in the process of its national formation, which is organically connected with the construction of the Bulgarian nation, its unique national, cultural and other identity.

Expanding the functions of dental assistants in Bulgaria and perceptions about their role in the Bulgarian healhcare workforce

The study queries a sample of dentists and dental assistants in Bulgaria about their understanding and perceptions of Expanded Function Dental Auxiliaries (EFDA). The study considers whether expanding the skillset of dental assistants to function in specific scenarios without personal supervision by the dentist may be a viable strategy to address various oral health inequities in the country. An anonymous survey was conducted among 103 practicing dentists and 100 dental assistants throughout the country. The questionnaire consisted of 20 questions that probed respondents' understanding about the duties performed by EFDAs and their potential to increase productivity and efficiency of the dental workforce. Sociological (poll) and statistical (alternative analysis) methods were used in the survey. The majority of respondents were female. Most worked in the larger cities. One worked in a village. Most were ethnic Bulgarians and none were Roma, reflecting the racial imbalance in the national workforce. Two-thirds (67%) believed that dental assistants with appropriate training are capable of doing expanded dental procedures without personal supervision by a dentist. The majority (83.7%) believed that EFDAs could improve efficiency of a dental practice, while 58.1% indicated that with appropriate training, they could perform expanded duties as well as the dentist. However, only one third believed that EFDAs could increase practice output (38.9%); enhance the quality of the dentist's work (37.4%); or decrease patient anxiety (31.5%). Though most respondents (78.3%) believed that a patient would not be receptive to an EFDA placing a restoration without personal supervision by the dentist, two thirds of respondents (66.5%) would like to see dental assistants trained to perform expanded duties otherwise reserved for dentists. Most respondents felt that EFDAs could help to build a well-functioning dental team. Most respondents believed that EFDAs can benefit the efficiency of a practice, suggesting that Bulgarian dental professionals would respond favorably to enhancing the skillset of assistants with expanded functions. The study suggests they are skeptical about "general" versus "personal" supervision. EFDAs may potentially provide improved access by underserved communities, while building a more inclusive oral healthcare workforce reflective of the population.

Bulgarian public opinion survey for risk perception including radon and suggestions for communication

The paper reviews and analyses the results of STEAM survey of the Bulgarian population. A Survey and the preparation of a questionnaire were initiated within the framework of the IAEA Project RER9153 “Enhancing the Regional Capacity to Control Long-Term Risks to the Public due to radon in Dwellings and Workplaces”. The survey includes 1003 respondents from the Bulgarian adult population 18+. The main conclusions are:The health of the Bulgarian people is mostly assessed as satisfactory (38.7%) and all respondent considers a person's health better than the people's health as a whole. The main risk factors that can affect the health of Bulgarians are: Stress; Unhealthy nutrition; Smoking; Polluted air/dust; Health system - difficult access, improper treatment; Economic situation - low income; Alcohol; Lack of physical activity. Risks such as Environment; Working place and Lifestyle (harmful habits) are below 10%. The general awareness of radon and associated risks with it is very low among the Bulgarian adult population: 78% know nothing or very little about the health risks of radon. Almost half of the population doesn't know if home radon testing is a priority for them. About 30% of Bulgarians think that there is no point in testing the home they live in since they always maintain good ventilation. The population does not recognize the National Radiation Protection and Public Health Authorities as a trusted source of health risk information. The internet and social media are the main sources of information regarding health risks. The most important result that should be taken into account when building a new communication strategy is the fact that nearly 40% of the respondents declare that they are informed about health risks by general practitioners (GP), and the trust in them is over 50%.

Свети преподобни отец Паисий Хилендарски в културната и и институционалната памет на българския народ / Saint Paisi Hilendar in the cultural and institutional memory of the bulgarian people

Свети преподобни отец Паисий Хилендарски в културната и и институционалната памет на българския народ / Saint Paisi Hilendar in the cultural and institutional memory of the bulgarian people

ТОРГІВЕЛЬНО-ЕКОНОМІЧНЕ СПІВРОБІТНИЦТВО МІЖ УКРАЇНОЮ ТА БОЛГАРІЄЮ

This article examines the potential for cooperation between Ukraine and Bulgaria in trade, economics, and investment. However, Ukraine has recently faced unprecedented large-scale problems, including a full-scale invasion that has displaced millions of Ukrainians across Europe. Despite these challenges, the authors maintain that trade, economic, and investment partnerships with Bulgaria remain relevant and important for Ukraine's economic and social development. To assess the prospects for future cooperation, the study uses data from various sources, including the National Bank of Ukraine, the Bulgarian People's Bank, the Bulgarian Investment Agency, the Embassy of Ukraine in Bulgaria, and Diia. The authors analyze the investment basis for both countries and highlight the main areas of cooperation between the two nations over the past two years. Firstly, the authors note that the scope of the customs regime is an important consideration in developing economic partnerships between Ukraine and Bulgaria. Since Ukraine is moving towards integration with the European Union, customs cooperation with Bulgaria can facilitate trade between Ukraine and other EU countries. The authors also point out that the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic has created additional challenges for economic cooperation between Ukraine and Bulgaria. Secondly, the authors analyze the investment basis for both countries. They note that Bulgaria is among the top 20 countries investing in Ukraine, with investments mainly focused on the energy sector. Ukrainian investments in Bulgaria are mainly in the food and agriculture sector. The authors suggest that expanding investment in these sectors could further promote economic cooperation between the two nations. Overall, the article provides a comprehensive analysis of the potential for trade, economic, and investment partnerships between Ukraine and Bulgaria. The authors argue that despite the challenges facing Ukraine, effective diplomacy is essential for building partnerships with other nations. They suggest that expanding economic and investment cooperation with Bulgaria could have significant benefits for Ukraine's economic and social development.

The French Proposal: A Turning Point in the Balkans or a Dead End?

North Macedonia’s long-standing bid for EU accession was hindered by a Bulgarian veto that had lasted for two years until a French proposal emerged as a last-minute solution. However, this proposal presents potential pitfalls for new vetoes and has exacerbated political polarization in North Macedonia, thereby threatening inter- ethnic relations in the country. The proposal requires North Macedonia to include ethnic Bulgarians in its constitutional preamble, a move that seems unlikely given the opposition’s firm resistance to any such constitutional amendment. This raises questions about the EU’s decision to comply with the Bulgarian demands and the likelihood of achieving a sustainable solution to long-standing bilateral issues.

Марияна Витанова, Ваня Мичева, Йоанна Кирилова, Калина Мичева-Пейчева, Надежда Николова. Етнолингвистичен речник на българската народна медицина София: Издателство на БАН «Проф. Марин Дринов», 2023. 367 с.

The review examines the “Ethnolinguistic Dictionary of the Bulgarian Folk Medicine,” which has become a new stage in Bulgarian lexicography, dedicated to the study of various fragments of traditional culture from the point of view of the Ethnolinguistics. The objective of the work under review, referred to by the authors as an encyclopedia of traditional medicine, was their desire to outline the structure of rituals associated with treatment. This dictionary represents an experience in the semantic reconstruction of one of the blocks of the linguistic picture of the world of the Bulgarian people. The authors set themselves the goal of presenting a cultural tradition not only in its synchronic aspect, but also in its diachronic aspect, through the prism of the folk terminology. The concepts of “health” and “disease” were analyzed and their linguistic representations were presented both in medieval manuscript texts and in the dialects of all areas of the Bulgarian language, including Mysia, Thrace and Macedonia. An important contribution of the authors is the complete excerpt of linguistic data and the use in the dictionary of material from all classical manuscripts of the Old Slavonic language.

За стереотипното мислене и разминаването с големите надежди

What is the role of stereotypical thinking and does it have a single mechanism? This article proposes a theoretical framework and an explanation of why thinking in stereotypes has become one of the biggest obstacles to achieving progress and building a just society in Bulgaria, as well as in other countries in transition from socialism to capitalism. Today’s party ideologies, media messages and mass expectations are woven from stereotypes, and that is why the topic is important. This type of thinking is present when the generic concept is identified with one of its species. This analysis also emphasizes the role of stereotypical thinking in dissociating with the great hopes of Bulgarian people for change and a better future, which were strong at the beginning of the transition, but today are on the verge of freezing. They were also the basis of the belief in the civilizational values coming from the West, which were supposed to replace the old backward socialist values of the planned economy and authoritarian socialism. The dream of them and the disappointment that they came to Bulgaria too slowly or even at all caused about 1/5 of the population, mostly young and active people, to look for sustenance and prosperity in the West. At the same time, poverty, social inequalities, and corruption settled in the country.

Europe, Islam and the Roma: Liberalism and the manufacture of cultural difference

In this article, we direct our critical enquiry at public intellectuals’ musings about cultural difference in the wake of the so-called ‘refugee crisis’ (starting in 2015) and the coincidental eruption of ‘ethnic tensions’ between Roma and non-Roma citizens in Bulgaria. We show how (1) some intellectuals mobilize their position as holders of legitimate knowledge about culture to construct rigid collective identities, despite their professed liberal political beliefs about the ontological primacy of the individual and (2) how they politicize the constructs of culture to arrive at exclusionary, racist ‘solutions’ to the security problems that Roma and refugees allegedly pose, thereby fuelling and in many ways legitimizing far-right mobilizations. We examine the discourses of a range of experts commenting on clashes between ethnic Bulgarians and Roma, on one hand, and on the so-called ‘refugee crisis’, on the other. Juxtaposing the scholarly discourses about two different types of ‘surplus populations’ helps us tease out the malleability of the ‘enemy’ and the ensuing complex hierarchical organization of these populations according to the logic of economic utility and preconceptions of the distance between a coveted ‘Europe’ and a threatening ‘Islam’.

Националната идея на Паисий Хилендарски (Посвещава се на 300-годишнината от рождението на св. Паисий Хилендарски (1722 – 1773)

The article is dedicated to the 300th anniversary of the birth of St. Paisii Hilendarski (1722 – 1773) and is therefore written in a more emotional way and somewhat in his style. It comments on Paisii's theses on the language and faith of the Bulgarian people, on statehood and spirituality, on knowledge and education. As a result, it is assumed that the national idea of Paisii Hilendarski is the fourleaved clover of Bulgarianness – according to him, the happiness of the Bulgarian people lies in the unity of language – clan – faith – Fatherland. His message is about catharsis in the soul of the Bulgarians – reached by knowing oneʼs native languge, fighting for the independence of the church and uprising for national liberation.

Bulgaria in the Life and Work of YU.V. Trifonov

The article is devoted to the work of Yu.V. Trifonov in Bulgarian Russian studies, as well as some periods of the author's life that link his fate with Bulgaria. The article presents translations of the works into Bulgarian, as well as the names of those who popularized the author's work in Bulgaria. In connection with translation reception, periods of reader activity are highlighted, and interest in the work of the writer is revealed in certain years. The principles of evaluating the work of a writer in humanitarian thought are discussed. The translation of the author of the article contains the most typical excerpts from the statements of Bulgarian writers about Trifonov: many of the Bulgarian researchers mentioned in the article knew the writer personally and share their memories of meeting with him. Scientists are looking for different approaches to the study of Trifonov's work. The writer's prose becomes the object of research in related fields of scientific knowledge: sociology and journalism. An interview with Trifonov, given to Bulgarian journalists at the Varna Film Festival and previously published only in Bulgarian, is quoted. In the interview, the topics and problems of the author's prose are discussed. In addition, the heroes and famous works of the writer in Bulgaria are analysed. The essay "The smallest city", which has an autobiographical character, is analyzed; the work combines the image of a personal tragedy (its biographical basis is a trip to Bulgaria with his daughter after the death of his wife) and a detailed description of the culture of Bulgaria and the mentality of the Bulgarian people. The article reveals the importance of the "Bulgarian period" in Trifonov's work, shows that Bulgaria is becoming for the author an integral part of his creative path.

Association of specific HLA alleles and haplotypes with pemphigus vulgaris in the Bulgarian population.

Pemphigus vulgaris (PV) is an autoimmune bullous dermatosis with uneven geographic distribution and higher incidence in certain populations. In previous studies, a relatively high incidence of PV was reported in Bulgaria (0.47/100,000/year) comparable to that in other countries. The genetic background was considered responsible for the disease susceptibility, and multiple reports have proven PV to be an HLA-associated condition. The aim of our study was to analyze the role of genetic factors in the development of PV in Bulgaria. HLA genotyping was performed in 56 PV patients, ethnic Bulgarians whose diagnosis was confirmed based on clinical, histological, and immunofluorescent findings. The control group consisted of 204 healthy individuals from the Bulgarian population without evidence for HLA-associated autoimmune diseases. HLA-A,-B,-DRB1,-DQB1 analysis was performed by PCR-SSP. Our results revealed predisposing associations with DRB1*14, DRB1*04:02, and B*38, B*55, while allele DRB1*03:01 and the corresponding haplotypes were significantly decreased in the PV patients. The predisposing role of these alleles has been observed in other populations. All reported predisposing DRB1 alleles have the same amino acids at key positions of the beta chain of the HLA molecules, 26 (Phe), 67 (Leu or Ileu), 70 and 71 (hydrophobic AA: Gln, Arg, Asp, or Glu), and 86 (Val), which is important for the selective presentation of desmoglein 3 peptides. Additionally, specific alleles HLA-A*01 and DRB1*11 were identified with decreased frequencies in the patients’ group, the last one being a common protective allele for autoimmune diseases in the Bulgarian population. The elucidation of the role of genetic factors for the development of pemphigus will help explain its higher incidence and clinical variability in certain populations.