An exploration into the socio - political and socio - psychological dynamics between the Orthodox Bulgarians and Bulgarian - Turks in Bulgaria through the lense of the historical event of the "Revival" process
Translated title
MSc in International Relations, Development and Global Refugee Studies
Author
Cooper, Alexandra
Term
4. term
Education
Publication year
2019
Submitted on
2019-05-24
Pages
65
Abstract
In the 1980s, Bulgaria’s communist regime launched the so-called revival process, a forced assimilation campaign against the Bulgarian-Turkish minority involving name changes, repression, and expulsions. This thesis explores the socio-political and socio-psychological dynamics between Orthodox Bulgarians and Bulgarian-Turks, asking how historical trauma from the Ottoman period and state propaganda, in interaction with Cold War politics, enabled the campaign and reshaped intergroup relations. Using a qualitative approach that combines historical documents and witness accounts, secondary literature on forced migration and identity, and socio-psychological theory (including the concept of chosen trauma), alongside the author’s own observations, the study examines motives, mechanisms, and impacts: breaking community solidarities, reviving prejudice, and eroding security and identity. The author argues that the campaign served domestic and Soviet-aligned political objectives, instrumentalizing the Bulgarian-Turkish minority to demonstrate regime loyalty while mobilizing ordinary Bulgarians through fear. The dissertation also considers contemporary legacies and the European context. More detailed empirical findings beyond these arguments are not presented in the provided excerpt.
I 1980’erne igangsatte Bulgariens kommunistiske regime den såkaldte revival-proces, en tvangsassimilation af det bulgarsk-tyrkiske mindretal med navneskift, undertrykkelse og udvisninger. Denne afhandling undersøger de socio-politiske og socio-psykologiske dynamikker mellem ortodokse bulgarere og bulgarsk-tyrkere og spørger, hvordan det historiske traume fra osmannertiden og statslig propaganda, i samspil med koldkrigspolitik, muliggjorde kampagnen og omformede relationerne mellem grupperne. Med en kvalitativ tilgang, der kombinerer historiske dokumenter og vidneberetninger, sekundærlitteratur om tvungen migration og identitet samt socio-psykologisk teori (bl.a. begrebet valgt traume) og forfatterens egne observationer, analyseres motiver, mekanismer og konsekvenser: brud på lokalsolidaritet, genoplivning af fordomme og udhuling af sikkerhed og identitet. Forfatteren argumenterer for, at kampagnen tjente indenrigspolitiske og sovjet-orienterede mål, hvor det bulgarsk-tyrkiske mindretal blev instrumentaliseret for at demonstrere regimets loyalitet, mens almindelige bulgarere blev mobiliseret gennem frygt. Afhandlingen berører også nutidige eftervirkninger og den europæiske kontekst. Uddybede empiriske resultater ud over disse argumenter fremgår ikke af det givne uddrag.
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