Бежанците – „новите други“ и отношението на българите към тях
Refugees: The “New Others” and the Attitudes of Bulgarians towards Them

Summary/Abstract: In recent years, refugees – defined ever more often as “the new others”, “aliens”, “the superfluous people” – constitute a topic that is constantly in the focus of European political debates. In the present situation of growing migration trends, however, the meeting between different cultures, different civilizational, religious, and secular values, increasingly creates tension, provokes fear and rejection rather than hospitality and empathy. European citizens, including Bulgarians, are afraid of the unknown when meeting people who are “alien” to them and hence dangerously unpredictable. This article analyzes the behavior and attitudes of Bulgarians towards refugees in three perspectives. The attitudes of the citizens of Bulgaria are studied based on the results of a national sample survey; the attitudes of local government (local municipal administrations) and local business are investigated based on two studies conducted in the Bulgarian cities Yambol and Gotse Delchev using the case study method; and the attitudes of Bulgarians living in foreign countries (emigrants) are registered through an online survey based on voluntary response.

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