The Gypsies and the Deportation of the “Bulgarian Turks” 
(1948–1989) Cover Image

Циганите и изселванията на „българските турци“ (1948–1989)
The Gypsies and the Deportation of the “Bulgarian Turks” (1948–1989)

Author(s): Plamena Stoyanova
Subject(s): Customs / Folklore, Human Geography, Regional Geography, Ethnohistory, Local History / Microhistory, Oral history, Political history, Social history, Recent History (1900 till today), Cultural Anthropology / Ethnology, Culture and social structure , Pre-WW I & WW I (1900 -1919), Interwar Period (1920 - 1939), WW II and following years (1940 - 1949), Post-War period (1950 - 1989), Transformation Period (1990 - 2010), Present Times (2010 - today), History of Communism, Between Berlin Congress and WW I, Fascism, Nazism and WW II, Cold-War History
Published by: Институт за етнология и фолклористика с Етнографски музей при БАН
Keywords: Muslim Gypsies;Iron Curtain;Emigration;Turks;Communism

Summary/Abstract: “The Gypsies are our own, domestic problem” is a phrase attributed to the long-term former head of the old communist Bulgarian government, Todor Zhivkov. The government policy towards the Gypsy minority in communist Bulgaria is one of inclusion to the Bulgarian way of life, and its implementation is carefully tailored to the specificities of Bulgaria as a country.It is a little known fact that towards the end of the 1940’s, the Bulgarian Gypsies suddenly turn from a “domestic problem” to something much larger and thus become part of the great confrontation between the two world political camps divided by the Iron Curtain. This takes place during the emigration of the ethnic Bulgarian Turks which starts in 1948, and during which, applications for emigration are filed by both Bulgarian Turks and Muslim Bulgarian Gypsies. It is this latter ethnic minority that becomes the cause for a serious conflict between ‘communist Bulgaria’ and ‘capitalist Turkey’.This paper aims at following the events from the end of the 40’s until end of the 80‘s of the previous century as well as analyzing the consequences of the confrontation between the two neighbouring Balkan countries.

  • Issue Year: 2017
  • Issue No: 2
  • Page Range: 190-203
  • Page Count: 14
  • Language: Bulgarian