Who is A Bulgarian: ‘Ethnic’ vs. ‘Civic’ Identity, and the Case of the Pomaks, and the Gagauz in Bulgaria
Who is A Bulgarian: ‘Ethnic’ vs. ‘Civic’ Identity, and the Case of the Pomaks, and the Gagauz in Bulgaria
Author(s): Alexander NikolovSubject(s): History, Social Sciences, Cultural history, Sociology, Comparative history, Ethnohistory, Local History / Microhistory, Ancient World, Middle Ages, Modern Age, Recent History (1900 till today)
Published by: Centrul de Studii Memoriale și Identitare
Keywords: Civic Identity; Bulgaria; Pomaks; Gagauz; Nation-State; Islam;
Summary/Abstract: The article discusses a few controversial ideas about the ‘essence’ of the Bulgarian nation. The foundation of the autonomous Bulgarian principality (1878) arouse the controversy between the ‘ethnic’ and the ‘civic’ perspective on the Bulgarian nation. This controversy is still actual in the Bulgarian public debates and influences the Bulgarian policy toward ethnic minorities and specific groups, such as Pomaks (Bulgarian-speaking Muslims) and Gagauz (Turkish-speaking Orthodox Christians) who did not ‘meet the standard’ for the ‘real’ Bulgarians.
Journal: MemoScapes. Romanian Journal of Memory and Identity Studies
- Issue Year: 3/2019
- Issue No: 3
- Page Range: 17-25
- Page Count: 9
- Language: English